It Was Always You
by SasuSaku Forever and Ever
Summary: o26: Sasuke regrets being a gentleman and giving his coat to Sakura in the middle of winter.
1. The Smell of Fresh Paint

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo1: Sakura loves watching Sasuke paint. She's never quite understood his works, but they're to both of them, they're special in their own way.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo1.  
**_The Smell of Fresh Paint_

"God, I love watching you paint," Sakura said, sitting cross-legged eagerly as her eyes followed Sasuke's skilled hand. "I can't understand how you do it. It seems so simple, but when I try to do it—" she trailed off, giggling. "Well, you already remember how it was when I painted."

Sasuke smirked, but his eyes and concentration kept focusing on the canvas in front of him. He dabbed strokes of oil all over the canvas, creating another "masterpiece," as Sakura liked to call it.

"Comes with practice," Sasuke said, wiping his brush to get rid of excess oil. He took a step back at his picture—a mismatched array of wild colors splotched together close up, but a creative abstract piece of work from far away—and sighed.

"It looks great," Sakura assured him. "But what is it?"

Sasuke took off his smock and placed his palette and brushes on the makeshift table next to him. He kissed Sakura's curious forehead.

"It's the last one in my series. You've seen me paint the other parts."

"But what exactly is it?"

His lips brushed the tip of her nose. "You'll understand." He leaned in for a proper kiss when he saw that some red oil paint had gotten onto her nose, making it look rosy and swollen.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "_Me_."

His lips swooped in for the kill.

.

.

.

Sakura would sit perched for _hours _doing nothing but watching Sasuke paint, paint, paint. The smell of fresh paint being opened from virgin tubes made her shiver in pleasure, and she loved watching the untouched tube squeeze out colors Sasuke would use to continue his picture.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Sasuke teased, thinking about how he could improve his picture.

"I love watching you. I think that's enough."

"Do you at least want me to open up a window or something? The smell can get pretty strong to the untrained nose."

"I like it," she said. "Fresh paint reminds me of you."

"Me? How so?"

"Because you're always surrounded by paint. You're like, Van Gogh or Da Vinci or Monet. You _live _art. You _breathe _art. It's part of your world. Just like you're part of mine."

"Kami, Sakura." Sasuke dropped everything he was holding and kissed her, his tongue tracing the outline of her lips. He gripped her forearms and turned his head for a better angle.

Sakura moaned, her hands gripping Sasuke's hair and tugging it in fistfuls. She pressed kisses down his jawline and his neck, and she felt his hands trail up and down her ribcage.

"Get back to work," Sakura breathed, pulling apart and wiping dabs of paint off his face. "Quitters never accomplish anything."

"I'm taking a break," Sasuke said. He turned around to view his picture and frowned.

"What? Are you not happy with it?"

"It's not the way I wanted it to be."

"I think it looks beautiful the way it is."

"To you, perhaps." His tone was slightly sarcastic, and almost _biting_.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke was still straddling Sakura on the sofa, and he stared into her green eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you saying that my objective perspective isn't worth as much as the artist's?" Sakura scowled.

Sasuke sighed. "You take things too personally. I'm just saying that _I _think it's not good enough. It's not what it was supposed to be."

"And I'm saying it's gorgeous either way! But here you are, saying, 'oh, Sakura, you don't know anything, you don't know how to paint, you just like to watch Sasuke paint so you can get high on the smell.'"

"What the hell? Sakura, what's your problem? Why are you acting like this?"

Sakura pushed his chest, and he toppled off her onto the ground.

"I don't much appreciate having a boyfriend who looks down on his girlfriend!"

"I'm not looking down on you! I'm only criticizing myself. Damnit, Sakura, what the hell is wrong with you right now?"

She saw Sasuke's dark eyes blaze up in anger, and she felt herself ready to argue back with hurtful words. Instead, she calmly quieted herself, and whispered, "I think I should go for now. I don't know when I'll see you next, but until then, good _luck_." She said the last phrase with a scowl and packed up her things.

"Sakura, don't you leave me—you owe me an explanation!"

"I don't owe you anything!" she shouted back. Knowing that Sasuke wasn't chasing after her, she ran from his studio, tears brimming in her eyes.

.

.

.

Sakura was lonely and stupid. She realized that she was in the wrong, yet she didn't have the courage to go to or call Sasuke to tell her that she was sorry. After yesterday's dilemma she didn't have the energy to do _anything_.

She buried her head in a pillow and sighed heavily, finding anything of Sasuke's to smell. Her room was surrounded by sketches and drawings of things she asked him to draw—pictures of them together, flowers, animals, and anything that would satisfy her. Sakura let out a small cry and flopped onto her bed face down.

She missed sitting on his couch, watching him mix colors. She missed him cursing when he got a color wrong, or when he messed up. And she especially missed watching him paint on his face and be unaware, and then ask her why she was laughing at him.

Kami, she missed him.

An unexpected knock came through her door. Sakura groaned, not wanting to see who it was, especially in her condition, but as the knocking got more incessant, she yelled "Coming!" and pried herself out of bed.

Looking in the mirror, she made sure that her face was tear-free and that she looked seemingly happy without her other half. Then, she made her way down to the door, where the stranger was waiting.

"Can I help you—" she stopped halfway. "Hi," she breathed.

"Can I come in?" Sasuke asked. He carried a large suitcase behind him, and he smelled like cologne today, not paint. She wondered if he painted today, or if he simply took a day off like she did.

"Um. Sure." She opened the door to let him in, and he settled down his suitcase.

"I—" they both began. "You go first," Sasuke said.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura breathed, covering her face with her hands. "I apologize for what happened yesterday. You were right. I was taking things too personally, and I shouldn't have. You're an amazing artist, and your opinion certainly matters much more than mine. I'm sorry I ever tried to butt in."

Sasuke didn't say anything for a while. Then, he took her hand, and kissed her temple.

"I don't care about any of that. As an artist, other peoples' perspectives are just as important as my own. In fact, I came here to give you something."

He bent down and unzipped his suitcase, taking out several canvases she had known and seen painted before.

"I don't understand," Sakura said. "Why did you bring them here?"

"Just wait." He arranged all of them in a certain order, all the abstract brush strokes finding their way into order. Finally, he stopped, and took yesterday's "unfinished" piece out.

"You didn't work on it?"

"You were right. I think it's perfect just the way it is." He placed it with the rest of the paintings and had her stand back.

"Oh my goodness," Sakura breathed, her hand at her mouth. "It's me."

And it was. Nine square canvases placed in order, each with a seemingly different feature making no sense separated—an eye, layers of pink, a nostril—but together, they formed a picture of her.

Sakura felt her eyes water, and Sasuke put his arm around her. "I wanted to give you something special."

"Kami, Sasuke-kun. It's so beautiful. I can't believe I wasn't noticing this before…"

"That's because you were just watching me," Sasuke chuckled. Sakura wrapped her arms around his torso and began to sob violently into his chest.

"It's stunning, Sasuke-kun. I can't even describe how much I love this—how much I love _you_. Thank you, Sasuke."

He embraced her with one arm and wiped away her tears with the other. "Art is my passion, Sakura. It's what I do. It's who I am. You, on the other hand, are my _life_. Without you, I have no inspiration for anything. You're my Muse. I can always count on you to love me every step of the way. So please," Sasuke said, his lips on her cheek. "Let it stay that way."

Sakura took another look at the portrait of her and smiled through her watery eyes. "Of course it will."

.

.

.

"I really love the smell of fresh paint," Sakura said to herself as she watched Sasuke paint the still-life in front of him. "I don't know how to describe it. It's almost acerbic, but there's some good mixed in."

"The fumes must be getting to you," Sasuke muttered. "Paint doesn't smell that good."

"To me it does."

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue something, but closed it. He silently nodded, and Sakura smiled.

"Whatcha working on right now?"

"The banana doesn't look right."

"What do you mean? All you have to do is—" she took the brush from him and dabbed a little bit of green and brown. "Put some of this on there."

Sasuke stepped back. "Not bad. The color's right, but your placement is a little off. Here." He set his palette down and guided Sakura's hand in the right direction.

"Look at me," she laughed. "I'm Sasuke. I'm going to be a famous artist one day and sell all my paintings for a million bucks each."

"I don't need money," Sasuke murmured, his lips at her ear, his hand still guiding hers. "I have you." He took the brush back and dabbed her nose.

"Hey!" she pouted.

"You can get me back later. Right now, I have some art to do." He placed the extra paintbrushes over his ear and got back to work, Sakura watching earnestly from her sofa, her nose bright and yellow.

* * *

**SASUSAKU MONTH 2014**

**COME AT ME BRO**

**I've also been editing/deleting some of my fics, so check my profile for updates! Please follow me on Tumblr (same username!)**


	2. Late

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo2: Sakura's always been suspicious of Sasuke and Karin out together so late at night...

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo2.  
**_Late_

Sakura paced the room worriedly as she waited for a call back from Sasuke. It was nearly midnight and he hadn't come home yet. Usually he was back by eight or nine, at the latest, but recently his "shifts" had gotten later and later, and he would come back with mussed hair and the faint smell of women's perfume on him.

Suddenly, her phone rang, and she hurried to pick it up, almost dropping it in her fast fingers. "Hello?" she asked quickly.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Oh," Sakura said, her voice dropping in disappointment. "Hi, Naruto."

"Hey, sorry to bother you at this time, but did teme get home yet? We left work at the same time, and he said he'd meet me at the bar with the rest of the guys, but he hasn't come and he's not picking up his phone. I was wondering if you saw him, because I'm getting a little pissed off."

"I am too," Sakura said.

"I mean, I saw him leave with Karin. They looked pretty happy together and laughing. Just a good time between the two. Anyway, neither of them came, so I was thinking they would have gone their separate ways."

Sakura felt a growl rising in her throat. Her husband—her most trusted confidante, with her best friend? Un-freaking-believable.

"Did you call Karin?" Sakura said, trying her best not to show anger in her voice.

"Nah. I don't have her number. Anyway, it's late. I'm sure they're fine. I'll catch you later, Sakura-chan."

"Bye." She hung up violently and tossed her phone onto the couch, letting out a groan. The very idea of Sasuke and Karin being together hurt her in ways she never felt before; just imagining them together made her want to vomit.

"They wouldn't do that to me," Sakura murmured, trying her best to block out any lewd images of her two friends going behind her back. "They wouldn't dare."

.

.

.

Sakura woke up to find herself in her bed, with Sasuke sleeping next to her. His arm draped around her waist, and he snored softly, murmuring words in his sleep.

Sakura leaned over and inhaled his scent. He did smell faintly feminine; but she considered that maybe it was because he worked with many women throughout the day. His hair was mussed, but perhaps it was due to bedhead. Sakura smiled to herself, relieved, and gently pried Sasuke off, only to find something sticking out of his pocket.

_Sasuke_

_Don't forget. 10 tonight. As usual._

_xoxo K_

Sakura glanced at the note, at her friend's familiar script, and then back at Sasuke. He still slept peacefully like nothing was wrong, as if cheating on his lifelong partner was no big deal. Sakura crumpled up the note angrily and stormed out, slamming the door on her way. She was glad when she heard Sasuke yelp awake in shock.

.

.

.

"Little bastard," Sakura muttered. She dialed Naruto's number to let him know that yes, Sasuke did come home that night. Thankfully, _alone_.

"Naruto's not here right now," Sai said, answering Naruto's phone for him. She heard Naruto yelling in the background, wanting his phone back, but Sai answered for him instead. "Is there anything I can help you with, Sakura?"

"Nothing, Sai. I was just wondering…well, you're friends with Sasuke. Has there been anything suspicious with him and…Karin lately?"

Immediately, Sai shut up. He stuttered over his words, and then said, "I have to go," and hung up. That only confirmed her suspicions, and she did her best to hide the tears behind her eyes.

"I will not cry," she told herself. "Absolutely not."

One tear fell.

"Okay, just for a bit."

And she let herself break apart.

.

.

.

"Sakura-chan!" Karin said, jumping into her arms after ringing the doorbell nonstop. She took her friend in with open arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You look like hell. Have you not been sleeping?"

Sakura didn't want Karin's arms anywhere around her. She wanted to sock Karin in the gut and break her glasses, but she thought better.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Good, because boy, do I have something to tell you!" Karin took her by the hand and dragged her off someplace.

"What? Where are you taking me?"

"I know you've been wondering where your husband has been and what he's been doing, but trust me, it's nothing bad."

_Oh, I bet it is, _Sakura growled to herself.

"He and I have got something for you!"

_What, that you're both rotten liars and you can go celebrate your new love life in hell?_

"Surprise!" Karin said, pushing her friend into her apartment. Immediately, friends of all kind—hers, Sasuke's, even just Sasuke's colleagues appeared from all over the room, giving Sakura big hugs and congratulations and "Do you know what you'll name it yet?"

"What is this," Sakura said. "Wait. What exactly is going on?"

"I hope you didn't mind," Sasuke said, walking up to her and giving her a formal kiss on the cheek. "I know you wanted to keep quiet, but as a proud father-to-be, it was pretty hard."

"Congratulations, Sakura-chan!" Naruto screamed from the other side of the room.

"I still don't understand!" Sakura said. "Why are you all here?"

"I saw the positive test in the trash. Sakura, you can't hide anything from me. You know I'd find it," he smirked. But Sakura didn't want to be touched by him, and drew herself away.

"Why were you with Karin?" Sakura shouted, loud enough to make the room uncomfortable. Everyone looked at the couple and Karin with confusion. "Were you cheating on me with her?"

"Sakura, that's not it," Karin assured her. "We were together because—"

"Bullshit! Sasuke, come with me." She took Sasuke by the wrist and led him out into the hallway, away from the hundreds of eyes looking at them warily.

"What the hell is going on?" Sakura said. "You come home late every day for the past couple of weeks, and you smell like her. You smell like my _best friend_. I even saw the note in your pocket. Now, what do you think I'm going to think?"

"I was not cheating," Sasuke said. "I was only with Karin because we were planning your party."

"Yeah, and what else? There were so many hours you took off to spend with her rather than me. Were you fooling around?"

"Sakura, no."

"How do you think _I _feel? I'm sitting here with a baby, worrying that the reason my husband isn't coming home because he's with my best friend. Of course I'm thinking the worst possible scenario. How could I not? I don't _ever _want to share you. You're mine, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke took Sakura into his arms and stroked her hair. "You're right, baby. I'm sorry. I should have called, or at least let you know where I was. I promise, we did nothing but set up your party. I was just so excited that I was going to be a father and a little upset that you didn't tell me straight up, and once I told Karin, she planned the idea out for you. Sakura, we both love you so much."

"It's true," Karin said, interrupting their conversation. She had snuck up quietly, pulling Sakura away from Sasuke's arms and kissing her cheek. "You know I love you. I'd do nothing to hurt you. I just wanted to make this fun, and instead it turned out to be a disaster. Can you forgive us?"

Sakura took a step back and sighed. She placed her hands on her stomach, feeling suddenly motherly and overprotective.

"_You_," she said, pointing at Karin. "Are not to do this ever again without asking me first. And _you_." She pointed at Sasuke. "Need to repay me all the time you missed being with me."

"Of course," they agreed.

Ignoring Karin purposely, but sending her a smirk, Sakura threw herself into Sasuke's arms.

"Come here, you asshole."

.

.

.

Sakura skipped out on the champagne and drank nearly a litre of sparkling apple cider instead. She danced wildly with Naruto and Sai, despite Sasuke's glares, and even let drunk Karin grind on her for a couple minutes.

Now, it was almost one in the morning, and Sasuke and Sakura walked out of the party, holding hands.

"Don't ever be late again," Sakura said. "You call me when you're getting home, you hear?"

"You can trust me," Sasuke said, dazzling her in the dark with his trademark smirk. She felt herself melt under his gaze.

Kami, how could she stay mad at him?

* * *

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	3. Phobia

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo3: Sakura has an unexplained fear of men; Sasuke's the lucky guy who has to help her through her phobia.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo3.  
**_Phobia_

"I don't have any problems," Sakura growled, watching the psychiatrist quickly write things down onto her notepad. "I don't see why I have to be here."

"Your parents thought it would be best for you," the doctor said, her face blank. "Sakura, I understand that you think I'm a 'loony,' but you need to face your problem. It's not like you can avoid the male population forever, you know."

"Yeah, but I can at least avoid some of them," she said in response, crossing her arms.

The doctor shook her head. "It's a little strange to me. You've never been 'hurt,' per se, by any male figure in your life. No signs or history of sexual or physical abuse by a male. Nothing 'life-changing' by any means with another man. I'll admit, I am a little stumped. But if you allow yourself to explain your phobia of men to me, I bet I can help you with this."

"I don't need your help," Sakura said. "I just want to go."

"Fine," she said. "I'll see you next week, same time."

"Not if I don't show up," she muttered, slamming the door behind her.

.

.

.

Sakura herself didn't know why she was so terrified of men. She was alright with her dad—after all, he was her dad, and he treated her really nicely the way a dad would, but for some reason, she hated being in contact with all other men. Any teachers, classmates, or strangers on the street that had male genitalia were immediately terrifying creatures that needed to be eliminated with pepper spray and mace.

She hid her face with sunglasses and looked down at her feet when she walked, bumping into strangers on the street. She never bothered issuing replies—not that she'd ever see them again—but because she was so absorbed in her own male-less world that she refused to acknowledge any other guy.

"How was the appointment?" her mother asked, drinking tea with her husband while Sakura threw down all her stuff onto the floor.

"Terrible," she muttered. She reached for a soda and downed the whole thing, crumpling it up in her fists. "Same old, same old. I appreciate the effort, guys, but I really don't think it's worth anything. I hate men. I went to an all-girls school and had a great time. I'll just go back to school. Or join a convent. Yeah. _Get thee to a nunnery_!"

"Sakura…" her father began. "You can't keep hiding from your fears."

"Who says I'm hiding? I'm _embracing_!" she said, laughing wildly. And for some reason, those laughs turned into racked sobs, and she ran upstairs to her room, locking the door behind her.

.

.

.

Here she was again, at her psychiatrist, waiting to get "checked up" for lots of money and then go home. Her doctor was in the room with someone else; Sakura figured she could probably ditch and go to the nearby Family Mart and tell her parents she got hit by a bike and was limping towards the hospital.

"Come in, Sakura," the psychiatrist said. Sakura cursed, thinking that she should have acted earlier. She entered the brightly colored room when she froze, her eyes focused on a man. Sitting in her seat.

She glanced away before she had any time to pay attention to his features, but for that brief second, she knew that he was stunning. All she remembered was a dark blob on the top of his head and dark dots for eyes. That itself was enough to make her feel a little bit sick, although she couldn't really describe the nauseating feeling.

"Sakura, this is Sasuke. He's my nephew."

"Hey," he said, standing up and holding out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Sakura felt like she was going to throw up. She looked down at the hand, seemingly separated from the rest of the body, and she stepped back.

"Sakura, where are your manners?" her doctor asked.

"I don't feel well," Sakura whispered, and she bolted, finding the bathroom and releasing the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She retched until she was sure there was nothing else left, wiped and rinsed her mouth, and sat on the floor, not wanting to come out.

"Sakura, let me in," her psychiatrist said.

"Nn…" Sakura moaned, feeling disoriented.

"He's a good guy. I'm saying this as a person, not as his aunt. He has a good heart, and the reason I brought him here today was for you. Sakura, I believe that you can overcome your fear, and he's the right person to help you through it."

"I can't," she cried, bringing her knees to her chest. "I just can't."

"Sakura…" she heard silence on the other side of the door, where the "bad guys" were. "I never thought you were a quitter."

"Well, you thought wrong."

The doctor slammed her fist against the door. "You're going to have to come out sometime. And until then, I'll be here. Waiting. Try me."

Sakura groaned, acting as if she were a teenager being told to do chores. She yanked open the door to see her therapist smiling, knowing she had won the battle.

"Good for you. Now, let's go baby steps. I want you to meet Sasuke again. Shake his hand. I'll blindfold you, if that'll make it easier."

"Not really," Sakura muttered. But she agreed.

.

.

.

She managed to get through the handshake phase after several bouts of crying and threats to throw small children in the air, but she did it.

And it wasn't _terrible_.

"Good job, Sakura," the doctor said, smiling to her and Sasuke as she wrote some notes down. "We're making some real progress here."

"I don't know the whole case," Sasuke said, turning to face Sakura, although her eyes were not on him at all. "Even though my aunt is your doctor, I'm not allowed to know anything in particular, although I can kind of figure things out. Anyway, I'm glad to be of assistance."

"You are, honey. Now why don't you walk Sakura down to her car?"

"No, it's fine," Sakura said quickly. "I can do it."

"Are you sure? Because my car's down there too, and—"

"I'm fine! Thank you!" she raced down, not bothering to take the elevator, and reached her car in the parking garage, only to realize she forgot her key and purse with Sasuke.

"You forgot these," Sasuke said, handing her things to her. "I tried to follow you, but you were really fast."

Sakura felt her face heat up. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Well, bye."

"Bye."

She watched him leave before getting into her car. Once she powered on the ignition, she saw him once again. Only this time, he was looking back over his shoulder, his eyes focused on her.

She squeaked, pulling out as fast as she could.

.

.

.

Sasuke was truly the closest thing to a saint. Over the course of a few weeks, she could finally look him in the eye—although she did blush and fluster a little, and not because he was "cute"—accept handshakes from him, pats on the back, and she even gave him a brief shoulder or forearm touch on her own. And through the whole process he was kind and patient, refusing to push her the way his aunt did, and allowing her to pace through the things at her own time.

"Let me take you out to dinner," he said, closing the office door behind him so it was just him and Sakura. She never noticed how tall he actually was, since they were always sitting and interacting, and she felt like a little piece of nothing when he towered over her like a giant.

"Um," Sakura began. "I don't think—"

"It's a fine idea," Sasuke said. "After all, I do enjoy your company. Unless you would prefer to keep our relationship strictly professional."

Sakura thought through all the ideas in her mind. Finally, she sighed, asking, "What were you thinking?"

.

.

.

Sasuke knew that she would be too afraid to eat publicly where there could be other kinds of guys, so he opted for the cooking-at-home-Sasuke-style at his apartment.

"I hope you don't mind," Sasuke said. "We could always eat on the balcony or the nearby café."

"No thanks," she said, her eyes browsing a single guy's apartment. "This is good."

"Make yourself at home," Sasuke said. "I'll get us something in a moment."

Sakura allowed herself to touch all of Sasuke's items, gently grazing the surfaces of tables with her fingers and smelling them. Sasuke touched all these things. She touched Sasuke. It reminded her of him, and she liked that.

Why did she like that so much?

"Here," Sasuke said, coming out with fresh, hot dishes. "I said I'd be quick, and I was."

"Wow."

They sat across from each other at the dinner table, saying their "Itadakimasu" and breaking their chopsticks.

"Great food," Sakura said quietly.

"Thanks," he said. "I cook a lot, so I've had to perfect my skills."

They let several minutes go by with the only sounds coming from chewing and drinking. Finally, Sasuke asked, "Please don't be offended by this, but I'm genuinely interested. Why is it that you have this phobia of men? Did something happen to you?"

Sakura didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said. "That was so intrusive of me. I shouldn't have. Please, forgive me."

"I don't know why I'm so afraid," she whispered. "I grew up in a great family. I used to have lots of guy friends when I was a little girl. Then I grew up, and suddenly, any man who wasn't my dad, I was afraid of. I would burst into tears if I saw a man walking my direction. I have no idea. Nothing traumatic happened to me, as far as I know. It just _happened_."

"…Am I the first guy you've ever actually talked to since then?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, picking at her rice. Sasuke reached over and put his hand over hers, waiting to see what her reaction would be. When she looked up, not drawing herself away, he began speaking.

"Thank you," he said. "For trusting me. For allowing me to play such a big part in your life. I'm so glad I could help you in some way, even a little." His hand traveled to her wrist, yet she still did not ask him to stop. "You're such an interesting woman. There's so much about you neither I nor anybody else knows. You're incredible."

"Stop," Sakura said. "You make me seem like I'm amazing. I'm not. I'm a weird girl who's afraid of people with penises."

Sasuke chuckled. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Do you have a penis?"

"Last time I checked."

"…Well, I'm not afraid of you."

Sasuke smiled. "Not all men are bad. In fact, most guys are like me. Some are even better."

Sakura responded with a scoff. "As if. I've read and heard of other guys like the yakuza who are basically trouble."

"We're not all the yakuza."

"Well, you're you. And until I can know every other guy as well as you, they're all yakuza."

Sasuke walked over to her side of the table and put his arm around her shoulder. She didn't flinch.

"You'll get there," Sasuke said. "Trust me. You'll get over this phobia. You're stronger than that. And I'll be here to help you every step of the way, alright?" He held out his pinky, just like little girls did with their friends.

Sakura hesitated, but laced her finger with his. "I do trust you."

"Good." He took another step in the relationship and brought her in for a hug. She didn't hug back, but as her face was pressed against his chest, she smiled.

Perhaps if men were like Sasuke—charming, caring, and _handsome_—they couldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

**PLEASE review! It would mean the world to me.**

**Happy SSM :)**


	4. There Was No Warning

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo4: Sasuke had no idea that he would actually fall in love with Sakura.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo4.  
**_There Was No Warning_

She drives me fucking _nuts_. I don't know whether or not I want to slit her throat or take her for a romantic walk on the beach, get on one knee, and ask her to marry me. I had no idea one person could make me act this way, but apparently, if you're me and this girl is _Haruno _freaking_ Sakura_, it's possible to go insane.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Sakura asked, her head resting on my lap. I stroked her hair with one hand and mindlessly watched TV with the other, not understanding what was going on. But she was smart, and she figured that out.

"Nothing," I muttered. I wasn't going to tell her how crazy she made me feel. Her ego didn't need any more inflating.

"Okay." She went back to play with her phone, holding it directly over her face. I was afraid she was going to drop it on her nose, like last time.

"Really? You're not going to prod?" I asked. Perhaps I was a little ambiguous. Yes, I wanted her to leave me alone, but no, I wanted her to ask me what was up and showed that she cared. Unfortunately, I couldn't have both.

"You need your alone time," she said, her finger moving rapidly back and forth to try and match the numbered tiles. "Damn. I lost." She set her phone aside and sighed, looking up at my face.

"Remember the day we met?" Sakura asked, a small smile emerging on her face. "I remember it, clear as day. December nineteenth, eleven a.m. We were at the coffee shop and you took my order and I took yours, and when I realized I didn't have my espresso I chased you down until I think I whacked you with the bag."

Sasuke loosened his jaw, remembering the impact it had on his body. Ouch.

"Yeah, I remember."

"You were so mad at me," she laughed. "I actually felt like I was going to piss myself. You gave me that death stare and I tried to apologize but nothing would come out, and then you told me it was fine and that I should just let it go."

"Yeah. I was in a hurry that day to see someone."

Sakura sat up, sitting cross-legged. "Was it your girlfriend?"

Sasuke hated talking about his exes with Sakura, who had only dated Sasuke. But she was eager, and she didn't say anything hurtful or hold any grudges, so he admitted it.

"Aa. I was going to break up with her that day. We hadn't been getting along. She wanted more than I could give her, and I couldn't allow myself to do so."

"She wanted you to love her?" Sakura asked. Damn. Sakura was smarter than he thought.

"If you must know, then yes. I tried. I really did. But there was no spark. It's like I dated for the sake of having a girlfriend."

"Well, I won't force you to love me," Sakura said, spreading out her legs on the coffee table and yawning. "I won't force you to _like _me, either. Just to be with me. You know?"

I held her hand, but she kept her eyes clothes. I opened my mouth to say "But I want to be with you anyway!" although my brain told me to keep quiet.

Sakura closed her eyes. I didn't know what she was thinking about, but her lips curled up in that familiar smile I loved so much, and I wanted to get on top of her and kiss them repeatedly until she laughed.

I remembered that day so well. I was furious at Sakura for further ruining my day. I was cold, I was pissed, and I was going to get my ass kicked so hard, which I did. I still have the scars from when Karin tried to claw my skin off with those huge acrylic nails.

And then I saw Sakura again at the same place, the next week. She asked me how I was doing and that it was good to see me again—although she said that sarcastically—and I didn't say anything. When they called out her name I thought to myself that it matched her personality, and then told myself to knock it off.

And for some reason, we kept bumping into each other—not just at the coffee shop, but at the grocery store, the park, even on the subway at one in the morning, where we shared seats.

All those days were a blur to me except for those few moments together with her. I felt my cold exterior start to melt around Sakura; no more was I the cold, unforgiving son of a bitch who let girls get their hopes up (as Karin so politely described), but I felt like I became warmer and gentler. I wasn't exactly a Romeo, but I treated Sakura well, even before we were actually "together." I gave her my coat when it was cold (and damn, do I regret it. I can still feel the cold chills on New Year), held her hand while we walked through the dark, and even sang some stupid song when it thundered because she was afraid of the sound.

Even so, we've also had our bad days. We fought over petty little things like who left the dishes out unwashed (my bad), who keeps pulling up the wrong things ("but dandelions don't seem like weeds! They're flowers! Unlike these yucky tulips, bleh!"), and "what, exactly, am I to you?"

"Everything," I murmured. Sakura peeked one of her eyes opened.

"Did you say something?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"Okay, then." She closed her eye once more, looking as if she were sleeping in a warm place. I stroked her hair and twirled it casually around my fingers.

The first time we kissed was on Valentine's Day. She had asked me out first—which saved me the trouble of planning something—and we just took a walk around the park and fed ducks. Then, she turned and gave me a huge smack on the lips, catching me off-guard. And when she pulled back, she _laughed_.

"Sorry," she said. "I've never done that before."

For some reason, I thought it was totally suave and smooth to say, "Well, let me show you how it's done." So I put my hand behind her neck and leaned in and kissed her, and she just kind of went with it, and it was nothing like I'd experienced before. I wanted to stay like that forever, as cheesy as that sounds, just her and me on a cold park bench with her arms around my neck and ducks pecking at my ankles.

Our relationship progressed even more. We still had our fights, which got worse when Sakura was craving things—you know what I mean. She even threatened to "break up" our "non-existent relationship," which was still a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship even though it wasn't formally deemed that. But we managed to put that all away.

Our first time—together, I mean—was on some ratty old blanket Sakura refused to throw out in the backyard of our new apartment. It was May, and the evening weather was nice. Sakura wore a light yellow sundress, which accentuated her cleavage very nicely, I remembered. I was on top of her, and she literally stuck to my body as if she were a koala bear. Her eyes were shut super tight, and I think she was praying underneath her breath.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Eh." She shrugged, but allowed my skin to breathe. "I'm not super excited because I heard it hurts, but I'm glad to know that I'm doing this with _you_."

I gave her a hundred chances to back out of this before and during our lovemaking. Each time, she refused, so I made sure I made her feel good and erased any misgivings she might have had about sex. By the time I was in her, she was stretched out, adjusting herself, and then moving with me in a steady motion.

I was so excited I came early. I didn't think she cared, but I finished her up with my fingers and kissed her long and hard, collapsing on top of her and rolling the crummy blanket around us.

She held my face in her hands and smiled. Then, she told me "thanks," and went to sleep.

.

.

.

"You are so adorable," Sakura smiled, twirling her spoon around in her soup. I gave her a look, asking her what the hell she was talking about, but she just kept giving me that goofy smile.

Back in that December, I would never have realized that the person in front of me was someone I'd want to spend my life with. There is no other person who would be a better friend, a better lover, or a better partner than Sakura. I looked up from my soup to see her balancing chopsticks between her mouth and nose and laughing when it fell on the ground, and I smirked.

She was so quirky and ridiculous and insane and I loved it all. I loved _her_. Without these quirks there was no Sakura.

If someone had told me that I'd be so head over heels for Sakura, I would have flipped him off and told them he was crazy. There was absolutely no way I'd love someone like her.

But now, I'd like to go up to that person, give him a firm handshake, and tell him how right he was. There was no warning. I fell, good and hard, for Haruno Sakura. I never knew someone could make me feel this way.

"You want to try?" she asked, holding out another chopstick and pursing her lips to make it stay on her face. "It's fun!"

_Kami, those eyes_.

I put my hand over hers. "I love you," I said, I think for the first time out loud.

She acted like she didn't hear me, but while she was balancing that stupid chopstick, I know I saw her smile.

* * *

**Review, please! Thanks!**


	5. Keepsake

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo5: As much as he hates to admit it, there's a part of him that can't bear to leave a teammate behind.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo5.  
**_Keepsake_

"We've got to get a move on," Suigetsu shouted to the rest of Taka. "Konoha spies are on our trail, and we need to leave before they realize we've been here. Leave everything that you don't need behind; the extra weight will just bring us down. Meet out here in thirty minutes."

The rest of the team heard Suigetsu's warning and quickly went back into their camps to find their things. Sasuke began packing his katana and his clothes to place into a small bag when he reached for his headband—an old habit that was hard to break. He cursed and allowed his hand to find other essentials that didn't remind him of the home he abandoned so long ago.

As he placed his things in a neat order, he opened the bag. Looking down, he saw a small rectangular frame, the picture barely visible in the evening light. Sasuke picked it up gingerly, holding it up to see if he could get a better view of it. He hadn't remembered bringing something like that from the last major trip, over a year ago, and figured that it was probably something he forgot to discard a while back. While his hand threatened to throw it across the room and shatter it into pieces, he saw a small glimpse of pink from the moonlight entering the crack of tent.

_Sakura_.

She was giggling, her face expressed in one of those quirky, dorky smiles she always had. Sasuke was on one side of her, glaring at Naruto, who glared back, and Kakashi smiled eagerly at the camera as well, ignoring the fact that his two boys were quarreling over nothing at all.

His eyes darted over the whole picture but managed to come back to Sakura. He remembered how happy she was that she got to be next to her beloved Sasuke-kun, who left her behind and hurt her in ways he couldn't even empathize with. For some reason, that struck him hard, and even more so when he knew that she was still deeply in love with him.

The picture invoked memories of being at home, with the rest of his family as a child, having no worries at all. He didn't have to worry about revenge or any other nonsense. The only thing he had to worry about was whether Itachi would come home early enough for them to play tag together. His mind then drifted off to memories of Team 7 and his new replacement, that weird look-alike who wore shirts that were way too short for his own good.

And then it drifted off to Sakura. Images played through his head—her holding his hand when he got bit (he felt the scar tenderly), her protecting him while unconscious, him carrying her to safety, her hugging him in the hospital bed—the possibilities were endless. She had done so much for him and he had barely repaid her with any kind of thanks, only telling her that "it's what teammates do."

"Sasuke," Suigetsu called. "The rest of us are ready. Even Karin. Are you ready to go?"

Sasuke stuffed the rest of his things into the bag and looked at the keepsake, the only thing he brought with him from Konoha. He placed it down onto the ground and looked at it with bitter eyes, feeling confused over the emotions it brought back. Especially those invoked by Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun, let's go!" Karin called out.

He turned to leave it, but thought twice and stuffed it at the bottom of his bag, past his other items. He pushed his way out of the tent and began marching past their camp, ignoring any conversations started by the rest of the team.

He felt his heart clench at the prospect of Sakura finding the frame in the camps, left behind with his other things, and how much that would hurt her. Then he asked himself, why exactly should he care? They weren't teammates anymore.

As he marched with the rest of Taka, he felt the familiar bumps of the frame clunk with the other objects. The keepsake was the only thing of Team 7 he had left, and the only memories of Sakura he would have for a while.

He refused to leave that behind.

* * *

**Your reviews, messages, likes, reblogs, faves, etc. mean the world to me. Thank you so much for your continued support!**


	6. Night In

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo6: Spending a rainy night in with Sakura didn't actually seem as bad as he thought it would be...

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo6.  
**_Night In_

"Can you _not_?" Sasuke growled, prying Sakura's arms off him. It was bad enough that he had to spend "personal" time with her and Naruto watching some stupid Frozen movie that apparently both of them liked to sing along to. He didn't need anybody cuddling with him.

"It's raining, I'm cold, Naruto's hyper, and you don't have hot chocolate. This is probably the next best thing," Sakura said, moving closer to Sasuke on the couch. He moved away, only to be confronted by Naruto who tried to wrap _his _arms around Sasuke.

"C'mon, Sasuke! It's _Frozen_. You have to be nobody to hate Frozen. Just let it go, Sasuke, and you'll see why Sakura and I love it so much."

He'd heard enough about him having a frozen heart and needing to let it go, and he was not in the mood to see the actual thing.

"I refuse."

"Well, you can't go anywhere. It's raining super hard, you can't even get into your car without getting soaked, and you'll probably die of hypothermia. So good luck. It was nice knowing you," Naruto said, waving his hand impatiently. He reached for the remote and began to play the movie.

Hearing two people squealing on either side of him made him think that hypothermia wasn't such a terrible option.

"Okay, so, it's a princess story?"

"Kind of," Sakura said. "But not your regular story."

Sasuke's eyes followed the blonde girl and then her redheaded sister, and he raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"They look just like that other chick from that Rapunzel movie."

"Tangled!" Naruto growled. "Get it right! And no, they are _completely _different."

"Ugh," Sasuke said, massaging his temples. "How long is this movie again?"

Neither of them responded. They sat on the very edge of the couch, mouthing the dialogue to themselves, knowing what would happen next.

Sasuke checked his watch, then sighed. There were so many other things he could be doing with his time. Watching it for the first time in forever was not an option.

.

.

.

Sasuke had to admit that even with Naruto and Sakura's bad singing to Elsa's heartfelt rendition of "Let it Go," and their sloppy slurred words on "Fixer Upper," it was not a _terrible _movie.

(He loved it).

"The rain stopped a little," Sakura said, looking out his window to see a huge bunch of water. "Do you think it's safe to go home?"

"No," Naruto said. "Better not to take the risk. You don't know how flooded the other areas might be."

"Are you staying?" Sasuke asked.

"Nah," Naruto said. He didn't notice the sigh of relief coming from his buddy. "I gotta go to the neighboring apartments to help my buddy out with some things. He's been moving around some stuff, and he gave me a room I can sleep in tonight. I should really get going." Naruto ejected his DVD out of the TV and placed it tenderly back into its case. "I'll watch you again tonight," Naruto cooed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"So what about you?" Sasuke asked once Naruto left.

"If it's okay," Sakura squeaked. "Can I stay here? I don't think I can drive back home in this weather."

He looked at Sakura's big, begging eyes and then at the water through his window. He sighed.

"Fine."

.

.

.

"I appreciate you letting me stay here," Sakura said, borrowing some of Sasuke's old clothes to use as sleepwear. "I know this probably isn't your favorite way to spend tonight. You know, watching Frozen with me and Naruto and stuff, but I'm glad you made it through."

Sasuke didn't respond. He set up blankets and pillows for the sofa, and as Sakura placed her things next to the furniture, he stopped her by gripping her wrist.

"You sleep there," he said, pointing to his bedroom. "I sleep here."

"What? That's not fair to you," she said. "I'm the guest. I'm invading your personal space. So _I _sleep here."

"Well, I'm not moving," Sasuke said, setting himself down on the sofa and placing his feet on the coffee table in front of him.

"I'm not either!" She plopped down next to him.

"We can't both share this," Sasuke said. "So you're just going to have to sleep in the bed."

"Maybe we can share," Sakura growled. "If you're so inclined, meaniehead."

"What?"

"Never mind."

They sat inches apart from each other, both of them too stubborn to lose the fight and take the bed. It was almost ten o'clock, and the yawns coming from Sakura stimulated similar ones from Sasuke.

"You tired?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Sakura placed her head on the opposite side of the couch where Sasuke was and curled up into a small ball. "I'm going to go to bed. Give me the blanket."

"Yeah, you _are _going to go to bed." He lifted her up, literally swooping her with one arm underneath her legs and the other under her back. She kicked and thrashed, but he avoided each swing and threw her onto his mattress.

"There," Sasuke said. "Stay there."

"What am I, a dog? Sasuke, you get back here!"

He made his way to the sofa, muttering "annoying" repeatedly to himself. Before he could lay his head on the pillow, however, Sakura sat on top of him.

"You think I'm that easy to get rid of?"

"_Get off_," he mumbled.

He saw Sakura's face soften. "If it's okay," she said quietly, her lips barely moving. "Can I sleep across from you? I'm just—well, I'm scared, and I really need someone to be there for me."

"What are you scared of?" he asked, rubbing his forehead.

"Just…being alone. Do you mind?"

Sasuke saw her eager look and knew he couldn't turn that down. "Fine," he said. "Just don't do anything weird."

She smiled, settling herself on the opposite side of the couch in her curled position once again. She allowed enough room for Sasuke to spread his long legs out so that they wouldn't touch, and she breathed evenly, scanning the dark room around her.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Hn."

He heard Sakura's snoring a few moments later, but he himself was unable to fall asleep. He glanced over at Sakura, her lips slightly parted. His back hurt from the sofa, and he bet that hers did too.

Gently, he removed the blanket from her side and lifted her up once again, hoping she wouldn't notice. He put her onto his bed, and, for some reason or another, decided to join her. She was afraid of being alone, so this would be a good way to keep her safe.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair, debating over what he should do. Finally, he awkwardly placed his arms around Sakura, holding her tight to him, cuddling like a lover would do.

It was only a show of friendship, he thought. Yet he himself knew that was a lie.

He would figure it out when he wasn't so tired.

.

.

.

Sakura woke, refreshed and exuberated. She was surprised to find herself on a bed, and even more so when she was in Sasuke's arms. She did her best to stifle her shriek, but noticing his tight grip around her, she figured it was best to just leave them together like that.

Smiling, she buried her face into his chest, cuddling him tighter.

She and Naruto loved spending nights in with Sasuke, doing silly stuff like watching Frozen or wrapping Christmas presents in May. But as much as she loved Naruto, she loved the time she spent with Sasuke even more.

And considering his protective grip on her waist, she figured that he didn't mind spending it with her either.

* * *

**Eh, this turned out okay.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	7. Night Out

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo7: Sakura takes Sasuke for a night out to meet some girls, but the only one he wants to spend the night is with Sakura.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo7.  
**_Night Out_

"This is stupid," Sasuke muttered to nobody in particular as he was forcefully dragged into the dimly lit underground club in the middle of town. "I don't want to meet other people. I just want to sit at home and watch a good, scary movie."

"See? This is why you can't get a girlfriend. You're no fun. Nobody gets a girl just by watching people get chopped up and decapitated." Sakura took his hand and led him through a labyrinth of people. He struggled to catch up, doing his best not to bump into strangers. He could barely see, and wondered if Sakura was a cat with night vision. Perhaps that was her spirit animal or something.

"Why can't we just hang out at my apartment and do something together? Like, I would rather help you paint your stupid nails than be here."

"What?" Sakura shouted. "I can't hear you! Music's too loud!"

Sasuke cleared his throat. "I said, why can't we—" he began shouting, but Sakura still was unable to understand what he was saying. She shook her head, laughing. "Whatever," she screamed. "Go have a good time! I'm going to go dance. Here, you sit at the bar and find yourself a pretty girl."

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but thought otherwise. He kept it shut, nodded, and allowed Sakura to go do her own thing. He watched her curvy bottom sway temptingly as she made her way onto the floor, wiggling her body and tossing her pink hair wildly to the side.

"Tequila shot, please," Sasuke motioned to the bartender. He was soon greeted with his favorite drink, which he needed desperately, considering all the nonsense around him. He could barely see anything: the music was too loud, and he just wanted to go home and maybe even watch the stupid _Notebook _movie with Sakura.

"Hey, cutie," someone said, sidling up to him. It was a blonde, her long hair trussed up into a ponytail, and her blue eyes glittering, waiting to make her next move. She put her hand on Sasuke's forearm and purred. "What are you doing here all alone?"

"Not interested," Sasuke muttered, doing his best to draw away from her. Instead, she held on tighter.

"You wanna dance, hottie?"

"I don't want to do anything." Sasuke took another sip of his alcohol, hoping he could _at least _get drunk enough to forget the thing gripping him with her claws.

"You sure? I bet I could change your mind…" one of her hands went from his pec down to his abdomen, and then over his dark jeans, where it rested a little too close for Sasuke's liking. Sasuke tried to pull her hand away, but she managed to escape his grasp, fiddling with the belt holding his patience together.

"Ino, leave him alone," Sakura said, crossing her arms and glaring at the two. Ino stopped, giving a nasty sneer at Sakura, but she took her hands back to her own body.

"What say do you have in this, forehead?" Ino growled.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You can obviously tell that he doesn't want your advances. He even said he wasn't interested. See, if this were the other way around—if he were touching you inappropriately even if you said no, this would be a whole different situation, and dear Sasuke would have been in jail by now. Capisce?"

Ino grumbled, but left Sasuke alone to go find a different prey. Sakura then took Sasuke's hand, and instead of dragging him into the huge mess of people on the dance floor, she led him outside, where instead of fresh air he smelled cigarette smoke.

"Let's go home," Sakura said. "Obviously this isn't the right place for you, and this night out thing kind of turned out to be a disaster. I'm sorry for forcing you to come here with me."

"You brought me here to meet girls," Sasuke said, stepping so close to Sakura that she became pinned to the wall. Sasuke's hands were on either side of her head, gripping onto the disgusting bricks laced with smoke and booze.

"Yeah, and it was a mistake," Sakura breathed.

"You're damn right it was," Sasuke growled. "I don't need to meet any girls when I've found one right in front of me."

Sakura's eyes looked to the side to make sure he was actually talking about her. "Who, me?"

"You're an idiot." His kiss was soft, yet demanding, and she felt the urgency of his desire through his soft lip-biting and his intrusive tongue. Sasuke had never been so forward before—he was usually very reserved and passive—but when he was fired up, he knew what he wanted, and would do anything to get it. As his best friend, she knew this. And she knew that he wanted her, more than anything else.

Her hands gripped the roots of his hair, and he moaned.

"Feisty," he breathed.

"You should know."

"Come home with me," Sasuke said, pulling away. He saw Sakura's eyes widen, and he tilted her chin up.

"Of course I don't expect you to sleep with me. We're still discovering and learning new things about ourselves. About _us_. I—let's just get out of here, alright? I don't want to ruin your fun, but I also don't want to get approached by anyone else that's not you."

She took his hand. "And you promise you'll help me paint my nails?"

"I'll do whatever you want. Let's just go."

He squeezed her hand once for comfort, then laced his fingers with hers, gripping firmly. They called a taxi back home, and while sitting in the backseat with Sakura, he looked out the window to see the black night and the dimly lit buildings.

His hand was still connected with Sakura's, and her head, now resting on his shoulder, snored softly. He tucked her hair away from her mouth and sat in silence on the drive home, thinking that their night out, despite everything that happened from Sakura's ass dancing to being unwillingly groped, was something to remember for the bad and the good.

He placed a small kiss onto her forehead and let his own head rest on hers. He had her, finally, and he sure as hell wasn't letting her go.

* * *

**I LOVE SASUSAKU MONTH YOU GUYS DON'T EVEN KNOW**

**Thank you for your reviews and faves and everything!**


	8. The Student Becomes the Teacher

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo8: Sasuke teaches Sakura a few things about _certain _anatomy.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo8.  
**_The Student Becomes the Teacher_

Sakura groaned, throwing aside her pen and her books and burying her head in her arms.

"I can't do this," she whined. "I study and I study and _I study_, but I just can't grasp the information. Sasuke-kun, I don't know what to do. If I fail my exam again, I won't be able to get my license, and then I won't be able to be a doctor, and if I'm not a doctor all those years of school were for nothing, and all that money is gone, and, and—" she groaned again, allowing herself to weep. "What am I going to do?"

Sasuke put his arm around Sakura's shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be okay," he assured her. "Everything's okay in the end."

"Yeah, but it won't be, because the universe hates me," she said.

Sasuke peered at her textbooks and her notes, all of which were filled with terms that made him hot under the collar. He cleared his throat, trying his best not to blush at normal scientific terms, and took a good look.

_Clitoris…vagina…penis…nipple…_

"Sakura," Sasuke said. "Are these just…er, sexual anatomy?"

"I know," Sakura said. "Make fun of me all you want. But it's more than just learning the terms. It's their functions and their usages and everything else. It's so much to remember, and for some reason I just can't do it. You give me the cardiovascular system, fine, no problem, I'm your gal. But you tell me to remember how many nerve endings are in the clitoris? I couldn't tell you."

"Maybe you need to take a break," Sasuke said. He could feel his face flustering and his pants getting tighter.

"That 'break' could be used for extra studying," Sakura said.

Sasuke looked at his seemingly hopeless girlfriend and then back at her notes. He pulled her up, making her sit in a good posture on her chair, and then locked her arms so she couldn't move.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura asked, thrashing wildly.

"I don't know much science, I'll admit," Sasuke said. "But I'm going to help you in any way that I can. You're going to take a break, whether you like it or not. And I'm going to teach you during this break."

"How are you going to—mmph!"

"Let's start here," Sasuke said, taking his lips off Sakura's for the briefest second. His hand unbuttoned her shirt, exposing her lacy white bra. Sasuke licked his lips, admiring the bust hidden behind those skimpy cups, and reached around to unhook the clothing.

"Sasuke, what do you think you're doing?" Sakura asked, instinctively trying to cover herself by folding her arms. He wagged his finger at her and pushed them away.

"I'm the teacher here, okay?"

Sakura reluctantly obeyed, allowing Sasuke to remove her top. She saw that his glance focused right at her nipples, which puckered under his vision. She held back a whimper.

"These," he said, palming one of her breasts in his hand, feeling its heavy weight. "Are your breasts. They're used to produce milk for a child, and for me to play with," he smirked. Sakura groaned, shaking her head to let him know how cheesy he sounded, but he ignored it. He continued to massage her breasts with both hands, ignoring the nipples begging for his attention.

"Soft," he murmured. His fingers then found her hardened nipples, and when he squeezed them, she jolted, giving out a cry of pleasure.

"These are your nipples," he said. "Where the milk comes out." Sasuke took one into his mouth, rolling it around under his tongue. He began sucking roughly, tugging on the sensitive bud, and heard Sakura moan heavily for him to continue.

"No milk in these yet," he said. "Soon, when you're carrying our child." Before Sakura could ask him what exactly he meant by "our child," he took her nipple back into his mouth and grazed it with his teeth, licking it, sucking it, making sure it received all the attention it deserved. Sakura's cries only got him more turned on, and he trailed his kisses down to her stomach, right over her hipbone.

"Now here," he began. "Here's where it gets serious. May I?"

Sakura nodded, gulping. Her breasts felt heavy and wet, and she wanted Sasuke's mouth on her again. She was eager for what would come next, and her mind went dizzy just thinking about it.

Sasuke lifted her off from the chair and laid her gently down onto the bed. Her nipples puckered again, feeling the cold air hit against Sasuke's saliva, and she began to fondle her breasts herself.

Sasuke smirked. He gave her another look, asking if it was okay for him to continue, and she nodded. He slid down her skirt, which left behind matching lacy, sheer panties and a garter belt.

_"Fuck_," he muttered to himself, feeling his cock stretch out past the confines of his pants. Sakura always got him so damned horny, and he was not a strong man who could control himself. He did his best, making sure he got right back on track.

Sasuke pressed his fingers at the core of her wet panties, ready for him. He told himself not to rush it, and that this was about Sakura, not him.

He slipped the panties off, where it hung uselessly at her ankle. Sasuke took her legs and put them over his shoulders. He stared at her womanhood, where he could feel the heat rise, and he wanted so badly to just eat her until she came, over and over in his mouth.

"Go on," she breathed. "What are we learning next, _sensei_?"

"Ah, yes." He used his finger to flick the bud he knew so well, and watched her cry out in sudden shock. "This is the clitoris. You were right to know that it does have many nerve endings, and women can achieve orgasm through clitoral stimulation alone. You would know," he teased, watching Sakura blush.

"If you'd allow a demonstration…" he said.

"Please," she whined.

Sasuke used his fingers to work the nub that was already expanding at his touch. He began using it the way Sakura loved so much, and when he knew she was close, he pressed a kiss at her hot, sticky warmth, and began to suck, just as he did with her tits.

"Sasuke-kun," she cried. "Sasuke-kun, I'm going to cum!"

He felt her legs shake on his shoulders and secured them, making sure his mouth never left the heat of her intimacy. He licked her, building up the tension, and once he heard her scream and her whole body vibrate, he smirked.

Sakura panted, trying to catch her breath. She leaned in for a kiss with Sasuke, but he turned his head, despite wanting to take her lips right then and there.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not yet. You have to learn to be patient. We'll take a break from the female anatomy right now, so that you can recover from your…" he raised his eyebrows, and Sakura blushed. "Anyway." Unzipping his pants, he let his cock free, which was ready to burst at any time. Sasuke forced himself to hold back his groan as Sakura touched it with her index finger, murmuring a small "wow" under her breath.

She had seen him naked so many times, and yet, like him, she always found something new about his body to love even more.

"This is a penis," Sasuke said. "More importantly, _my _penis. Also affectionately known as 'cock,' 'dick,' or 'weiner' in layman's terms. You can call it your best friend."

"Shut up," Sakura laughed.

"No time for laughing. This is serious business," he said, although he couldn't keep a straight face either.

"Yes, sir. Gomen."

"Good. Now, why don't you put your hand on there, right over the shaft. That's right. Good." Sakura took him into her hand, rubbing him gently up and down, watching his face for any signs of what to do next. She wanted to pleasure him so badly, but she knew her place, and as the student, she had to let him continue on with the lesson.

"Keep rubbing. Good job. It feels great, Sakura. You're doing great. _Shit_," he said, muttering the past part underneath his breath. Sakura knew that he was close, but she slowed down rather than sped up, because she didn't know how quickly he'd be able to recover to finish the _next parts of the lesson_.

"Will you feel better if I kiss it?" Sakura asked seductively, knowing that her teasing turned Sasuke on like nothing else.

"Good idea. Why don't you try it?"

"Mm." She wrapped her mouth around his arousal, taking him into her mouth and stroking him up and down, sucking the way he liked to be sucked. Sasuke gently wove his hands through Sakura's hair, making sure not to hurt her or force her down, and groaned in ecstasy, loving the feel of Sakura, Sakura, Sakura on him.

"I'm going to cum soon," Sasuke snarled, hating himself for not being able to maintain control. "But we need to finish the rest of the lesson. So," he said, switching positions so that he was on top of her. "Why don't we move on ahead?"

His cock glistened with the reminders of how much Sakura loved him, and he bit his lip, trying not to let himself go completely while the love of his life was sprawled out underneath him. Once he made sure it was okay to continue, he thrust into her, feeling warm and cozy within the depths of her womb that he knew so well. He walls tightened instinctively around him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun," she cried out.

"_This_," he said, moving in and out of her repeatedly in a steady motion. "Is penetration, where the penis enters the vagina. Kami, your sweet, sweet pussy is making me so hot. I want you, baby, I want all of you."

"But sensei—"

"Stop that," he ordered gently. "I can't do this. I can't finish. Kami, Sakura, you make me so fucking crazy I just can't think straight with you. Forget this learning nonsense. I want to love you like no other and fuck you just right you'll be begging me for more."

The roleplaying was over. At least for now. Sakura allowed herself to fully relax under Sasuke, grabbing his bottom and squeezing it, making him clench his thigh muscles and pump harder into her. He let out all the groans that were stifled during the duration of the lessons, and let her know exactly how much she meant to him."

"Do you think you're ready to cum again?" Sasuke asked, unable to feel as if he could hold it off any longer. He was usually pretty good and timing his orgasms to match Sakura's, but today, he couldn't hold back.

Sakura nodded, biting her lip. Her eyes rolled back and her mouth parted, moaning and chanting his name repeatedly. Sasuke continued, thrusting, thrusting, thrusting, until Sakura brought him in for a final kiss and he emptied his seed into her, falling right on top of her body.

"Shit." He switched positions once more so that she was on top of him, closing her eyes in ecstasy. They were both sweaty and disgusting, and Sasuke thought she had never looked more beautiful.

"You think you're ready for the exam?" Sasuke breathed, not wanting to disturb the moment totally. He moved stray locks of Sakura's hair away.

"Aa." She kissed him. "You're a good teacher."

"You're just a very eager, driven student."

Sakura pressed her palm against his chiseled cheek, smiling. "I love you more than anything else, you know that?"

"I want a baby with you." The words came out so suddenly he wasn't sure he said them. Sakura pulled back, confused.

"What?"

"I said, 'I want a baby with you.' Sakura, I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted you to mother our child."

"Are you sure? Because this is a big thing, and I don't know if you're joking—"

He took her chin and brought her to him. "Do you think I'd be joking about something like this? I love you."

"If that's what you really want," Sakura said, her fingers dancing around Sasuke's chest.

"You have to want it too."

She smiled. "Besides you, I've never wanted anything more."

"Perfect." He tugged at her nipple. "Do you want to start now, then?"

.

.

.

"I passed, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, jumping into Sasuke's arms as she held her graded examination in her hands. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

Sasuke smiled, pressing a kiss to Sakura's forehead. "I thought you meant you passed your pregnancy test."

Sakura slapped his arm. "You know we're not having the kid until I actually get a steady job. But since this basically guaranteed me one, why don't we go celebrate? There's a good hotel right across the street—"

"Not yet," Sasuke said. "As much as I'm excited, I'm sure our child won't mind if I get to spend a few more moments with you all to myself."

Sakura smiled. "No, I don't think it will; not when its daddy is so caring and sensitive."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, as if asking her to challenge that statement.

* * *

**I notice that my lemons tend not to get as many reviews as my other stuff D: either way, sasusaku smut is best smut!**


	9. Bravery

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **oo9: It took a lot of guts for Sakura to tell Sasuke she liked him, especially right in front of his _then-girlfriend._

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.oo9.  
**_Bravery_

Sasuke was usually a man of few words. Even more so when his neighbor, the cute—albeit slightly underage—one went up to him in the middle of his date and said super suddenly, "I like you."

He had his arm weakly wrapped around Karin while she drew him closer to her. Karin scowled, digging her fingertips into Sasuke's side, as if telling him to get a move on and forget this freak. But Sasuke stood still, frozen, wondering what would happen next.

"That's all," she said, smiling innocently, as if she hadn't just turned his world upside-down. Surely she could have chosen a more convenient time than _in the middle of his date_? "Have fun, Sasuke!"

He watched her prance back, her hair swaying with each small jump. Having been a legal adult for nearly a week now—his 21st birthday was filled with sex and booze—he wasn't sure if he was truly prepared for adulthood since this little sixteen year old minx just fucked him sideways.

"Who was that?" Karin growled, turning him the other direction and walking forcefully. He saw how she gritted her teeth and knew that she was angry.

"Just my neighbor," Sasuke said, wanting to drop the topic. He needed some time to think about it for himself, and it wasn't helping that Karin was literally _fuming _next to him.

"What? You guys fooling around or something? What the hell, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke held Karin by her shoulders and looked into her red eyes. "There's nothing going on between us, okay? I was just as surprised as you."

Karin's expression softened. "Do you love me?"

Sasuke didn't know how to respond to the question. He liked having her around, sure, and she was good in bed, but did he really love her?

He saw how angry she still was and decided to abate the situation the best way he could, even though he knew he was lying to himself and to her.

"Yeah," he said, trying not to expose himself. "I love you."

.

.

.

Karin had grown more and more suspicious of Sasuke and Sakura, although she had never seen the two of them together except for that one time. She was also starting to heavily doubt that Sasuke loved her, and had only said it to get her off his back.

Karin's hand moved rapidly up and down his shaft, trying her best to get him up, but Sasuke shook his head.

"It's not working," Sasuke muttered. "Just forget it."

Karin, however, was already naked and willing. She positioned herself on top of him, but he pushed her off.

"I said to forget it." Putting on his clothes, he made his way towards the door, when Karin said something chilling him to the bone.

"It's her, isn't it? You're not really in love with me. You're always thinking about her, aren't you?"

Sasuke heard Karin choking back tears, but inside, they both knew that she was right.

Sasuke went back to the bed where Karin sat, naked and crying. He wrapped a blanket around her; it was the best he could offer her now.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Bullshit," she argued. Sasuke didn't argue. He placed a hand on Karin's shoulder and told her goodbye, before leaving her to wallow in hatred.

.

**five years later**

.

Sasuke drank a cup of tea, poring over several volumes of books and journals. It was late, nearly eleven o'clock at night, and he still hadn't accomplished anything decent.

Scribbling furiously, he tore off a piece of paper and crumpled it, tossing it onto the floor. He sighed, taking off his glasses and pressing his face against the stack of books.

"You look pissed," Sakura joked, placing a gentle hand on his back. He looked up, recognizing that her voice became more mature. Her body, on the other hand, was something different.

"Wow," Sasuke muttered to himself. Then, realizing what he just said, he blushed.

"Yeah, haven't seen you in a while either," Sakura said. She took a seat next to Sasuke and moved his books away so that she could see his tired face. "You look like shit."

"Thanks."

"What's wrong? Bad breakup or something?"

He had broken up with Karin nearly five years ago, and since then she had tried to make his life a living hell. It was hard for him to move on, considering he couldn't really find anybody appealing enough to make his acquaintance. Yes, they were all gorgeous women, and some were extremely gifted in bed, but he didn't think that was motivating enough to stay with them and form a real relationship.

"No. Just some papers."

Sakura looked them over cautiously, while Sasuke managed to sneak a few peeks at how her teenage body had morphed into a woman's, curvy and delicious.

"How old are you now, Sakura?" he asked.

"Twenty-one. I'm an adult now. Yay," she half-cheered, although it was weak. She was still focused on Sasuke's papers.

"You've grown up."

"Yeah."

"Do you still like me?" the question came suddenly, just as sudden as when Karin asked him if he loved her.

"Yeah," she repeated nonchalantly, as if he were asking her 'did you put on socks this morning?'

Sasuke took that in, allowing himself to engage in silence while Sakura continued to look through his things.

"You were very brave in telling me that a few years ago," Sasuke said quietly. Sakura looked up from his notes, smiling.

"I had to take a risk, didn't I?"

"Oh, you definitely took one. Especially with my girlfriend around. She was _pissed_."

Sakura laughed. "I can imagine. But it wasn't my intention to piss her off. It just happened; spur of the moment, I guess. I just woke up that morning and felt like I had to get it off my chest."

He smirked. "I figured."

Sasuke's eyes watched her go through his things. He took a deep breath, then began to speak.

"Look," he said. "I'm throwing away all my sanity and trying to be brave, too, so…" he trailed off. "Would you like to go get a beer with me? After all, you are 21 now."

Sakura put down everything she was holding. Reaching for his hand, she smiled. "I'm glad you asked."

* * *

**Writing summaries is the hardest.**

**Please review! It means so much to me! :D**


	10. Impulsive

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o10: Sasuke did what he had to do. He saw a pretty girl on the train with kissable red lips and...well, his impulsiveness got the better of him.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o10.  
**_Impulsive_

_Wow_, Sasuke thought, as he allowed one more peek at the girl holding onto the railing next to him. _She is _beautiful.

_Alright, Sasuke_, he told himself. _Stop it. You look like a fool. Do not look at her again until she leaves. Do not avert your gaze from the old man. Focus on his balding head. Do not look at her pretty pink hair—you are looking at her now. You are _weak.

Fortunately, the girl was paying him no attention. She stared straight at the poster promoting some new coffee drink at the nearby shop for ten percent off, and had no idea what was going on her surroundings. Sasuke allowed himself _one more peek, just one more_ and took a good look at her rather than a flimsy glance.

Soft pink hair, yup. Matching eyelash color, so he knew it was natural. Shining green irises that looked like little gems and really adorable red lips and—Sasuke froze. She was wearing lip gloss to pump those suckers up, as if she woke up and thought to herself, "Hey, I'm going to wear lip gloss to shine up my lips and make that desperate guy on the train stare at me the whole time!"

He felt the beginnings of something embarrassing happening down under. Carefully, he moved his briefcase so that it was positioned conveniently over his crotch, and he turned around so that he would be forced not to look at the girl.

The train was relatively empty for a Thursday morning, with so many people going on and coming off, he could have just taken a seat if he wanted to. But he wished to stand next to the pretty, nameless girl, whose glossy lips were capturing his heart.

Sasuke noticed her cell phone ringing. It was in a pink case, with little anime charms hanging from them. For regular girls, he found that annoying and cumbersome, but for her—well, it just fit.

"Moshi moshi?" she whispered, doing her best to respect the other people on the train. "Yeah, Ino, I'll be there soon. Please, be quiet. I know it's hard for you, but listen, I'm on the train, and…I'll see you soon. I have four more stops until Kiyoshi Station."

"Sakura, don't you dare hang up on me!" the voice shouted. Everyone glanced at Sakura, who shut off her phone in embarrassment, hanging down her head.

So her name was Sakura. Sasuke smirked, noticing how well the title matched the book. He forced himself to look at the electronic banner hanging over the doors to tell him when he would arrive at his stop, and silently cursed when he realized he only had _two _more stops until his destination. That meant two stops less time to spend with this Sakura girl and watch her like a creeper on the train.

Wow, how awkward was he being right now? If she knew exactly what was happening…he'd most likely be thrown out onto the tracks right then and there.

"Sorry about that," Sakura murmured softly. He wasn't sure if she was actually talking to him, but once she continued to talk, his ears perked up.

"About what?" he replied.

"My friend. She's kind of loud. I hope that didn't disturb you."

"Not at all." Sasuke gulped, her teeth biting her bottom lip nervously. Those plump, juicy lips, just waiting to be kissed—

_"This stop, Central Konohagakure_!" the man over the train speakers called. Immediately, the door opened, and people began getting on and coming off. Sasuke knew that he had to go, but at the same time, he had just started to form a bond with the beautiful stranger.

With this dilemma, he did what any sane man would do. Quickly, he drew her in for a kiss, not even bothering to find out if she had a boyfriend. Tasting those luscious lips, bringing her close to him and lifting her a couple inches off the ground, he then let go. She stared into his passion-filled eyes for a moment, before he said, "Got to go," and ran off. Sasuke touched his lips gently, as if the traces of what was left of Sakura would suddenly disappear.

He turned behind him to see Sakura confused, staring out at him through the window. He blew another kiss with two fingers. She paused, then, as the train began to pick up speed, smiled and waved.

It was an impulsive move, yes, and quite possibly one of the riskiest and dangerous one he took, but he was glad he did it nonetheless.

He would have described it as "taking a chance," or "better safe than sorry," or even "carpe diem," but in the words of his best friend Naruto, "YOLO" seemed to suffice.

* * *

**I love OOC Sasuke you don't even know**

**#YOLO, so review :)**


	11. A Night with No Stars

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o11: Her night has always been dark ever since Sasuke left. He's the only one who can bring that ray of light back into her life.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o11.  
**_A Night With No Stars_

Ever since Sasuke left Konoha, all her nights seemed to be filled with darkness. There were few, if any stars out, and even then those didn't provide the ray of gleaming hope she so desperately needed.

Once he came back, though, she thought that all her problems would be solved. They could be Team 7 again, along with their new best friend Sai, and it would be as if nothing had ever happened. There was no Orochimaru, there was no Team Taka, and best of all, there would be no such thing as Sasuke trying to kill Sakura.

She gently pressed her fingers to her throat, remembering his harsh grip and the idea that she would be taking her last breaths at the hand of the person she loved more than anything else.

Sitting on the roof was a hobby of hers. She did it nearly every night when she couldn't sleep, even during pouring rains or icy snowstorms, and just watched the blackness of the sky in hopes that there would be one star shining for her tonight.

"You must be blind, Sakura-chan," Naruto laughed, sitting next to her when he couldn't find her in her room. "There are tons of stars out." He even took her hand and pointed her to the direction of a star, but to Sakura, it was just a speck of nothingness. She wanted to shake her head and tell Naruto that he was wrong, but she laughed softly and agreed.

"You're right," she said. "I should probably get my eyesight checked."

"Make sure you sleep well, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, putting his hand on her shoulder. He gave her a warm, comforting smile, knowing that her feelings were mixed ever since Sasuke came home. "I love you, you know."

She knew that he did his best to discard any romantic feelings he had towards her in an effort to move on. As hard as that was for him, Sakura appreciated the efforts, and kissed his whiskered cheek.

"I love you too," she said. "Go to bed, you dummy."

He chuckled, saluting her before heading back through the window and into his warm bed. Sakura sighed, knowing that yes, there were stars, but no, in her mind, they _weren't _stars. There was no hope in them.

"Can't sleep?"

"Naruto, go to bed," Sakura ordered, not bothering to turn around. She saw him sit next to her, wrapping his arms around his leg, and when she went to slap his arm she froze.

"Sasuke-kun," she breathed. Immediately, she took her arm back, and he smirked.

"You thought I was Naruto?"

"I—well—he came up here a second ago, and…never mind."

"There are stars out," Sasuke noted, staring up into the sky.

"Really? You see them too?" Sakura whispered. She figured that Sasuke would have the same kind of vision as her: bleakness, and nothing but hopelessness, even though the whole team was back together. She always felt that there was that small chance everything would fall apart, and Sasuke would go rogue or kill everyone and everything, and she couldn't let him do that. The very thought of losing Sasuke once more was too much to handle.

"Yeah. You don't?" he chuckled. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura. You were once so vibrant. Now, you're so dull and empty."

"I guess," she shrugged.

"Hey," he said. "The new Sakura wouldn't take that as an answer. What's wrong?"

"Why do you care?" she asked.

Sasuke moved closer to her. She knew that he hated bringing up the past and his wrongdoings, and if he could take them all back, he would, but she so desperately wanted to talk about it.

"We're teammates," he said. "And you're my friend. My family."

Sakura felt tears pool in her eyes and quickly wiped them away before Sasuke could see them fall. He took her hand in his, surprising her, and pointed up to the sky the same way Naruto did a few moments earlier.

"See right there?" he asked, pointing directly to a small white light. "There's a star. And over there," he said, moving her hand. At first, Sakura couldn't see what exactly he was trying to get at, until his touch became more and more comfortable on her, she could see all the bright white lights shining around her, illuminating the whole city.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I see them now."

He didn't remove her hand from his hold. "You just weren't looking hard enough," he said.

With his touch inflaming her to the core, and her eyes surveying all the lights around her—they were almost too bright to handle at once—she felt tears spring up again, but refused to wipe them away. Sasuke saw her crying, but said nothing. He only held onto her hand tighter.

"Never leave us again," she whispered, looking at all the joy Sasuke had just brought to her world in the sky.

"I won't," he promised. "Not again."

* * *

**Please review on here and Tumblr! It would mean the world.**

**ALSO check out chibikizumi's drawing of "Impulsive" on my tumblr! IT IS AMAZING!**

***to anon in chap 10: Just because I wrote SK doesn't mean I ship it. If you don't like it, that's fine. Move on afterwards.  
**


	12. Silver Lining

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o12: Every cloud has a silver lining. Sasuke shows her that every Sakura has a chance to bloom again.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o12.  
**_Silver Lining_

Bad things always seemed to happen to Sakura. Whether it was losing the love of her life and not being able to keep him with her—"I love you with all my heart, Sasuke-kun!"—or one of the best friends she'd ever had—"_Don't you dare give up on me, Naruto_!"—everything just never went well.

It wasn't to say that her whole life was terrible. She was very fortunate for many things in her life; only, the bad parts seemed to stick out even more.

Now that Sasuke was back, she had no idea what to do with her life. Team 7 was still a team, with the addition of Sai, but everyone seemed to get along nicely with each other and it was as if they were all kids again.

Except Sakura didn't even acknowledge Sasuke's presence in the same room. Not even when he was standing oh so close, literally _three inches away…_

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice said, breaking her from her thoughts. She jumped, obviously caught off-guard, and turned to face him, although her eyes stared over his ear rather than at his face.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked. The rest of the team looked at her funny as well, wondering why Sasuke took the time and effort to find out what was wrong with their female teammate.

"Nothing," Sakura mumbled. "Just stuff."

Naruto scoffed. "You're always such a Debbie Downer, Sakura-chan. Live a little. I know that you think your life sucks, and it might be because you're on your period, but seriously. Every cloud has a silver lining. You just gotta find the good in everything." He gave her his big, signature grin. "That's how I make my way through life!"

She admired Naruto's bravery and optimism and wished she could say the same for herself. Unfortunately, she dwelled too much on the bad rather than the good, and that brought her whole mood down.

"Well," Naruto began. "You have a lot to be happy for. For example, the whole gang's back together. Do you remember how separated and isolated we were without teme? No offense, Sai," Naruto said, nodding towards his direction. Sai held a hand up to indicate that it was no problem at all, and Naruto continued. "He's back now. We're a happy family once more and can put all of that crap behind us. We'll just pretend nothing like that ever happened and we can be dobe, teme, Sakura-chan, and Kakashi all over again."

Sakura took all the information in, and when Naruto enveloped her in a bear hug, she smiled.

"You sure have a way with words," she sighed.

"They call me a poet. I learned from the best, Killer Bee."

Sakura smiled, wrapping her arms around Naruto and watching Sasuke's expression. He looked at her with eyes filled with an indescribable emotion; it wasn't anger, nor was it sadness, but something new. It fired up her soul, and she craved to know what exactly it was.

"Oh, Sakura-chan, you've got something in your hair," Naruto said, pulling a flower tangled in her locks. "Look. It's a Sakura flower! Well, it's just the bud, but it's a flower nonetheless."

Sasuke snatched it from Naruto's hand. Before Naruto could complain, Sasuke handed it back to Sakura, placing it tenderly in her palm.

"Every cloud has a silver lining," he said, repeating Naruto's earlier phrase. "And every Sakura has a chance to bloom again. Nothing gets accomplished by living in the past, Sakura. Look towards the future."

There it was, that emotion again. It was _hope_. The hope that Sasuke could move on from the dreams of avenging the Uchiha clan and making his way up the power ladder in order to become the Sasuke his parents would have wanted him to be. He needed himself to move on, just like he needed Sakura to move on from all the transgressions he might have caused her before.

"Thanks," she said to no one in particular. She gripped the bud in her hand.

His eyes softened, and his lips curled up into that smirk she loved and missed so much. Smiling, she placed the bud in her weapons bag, and felt relief wash over her.

* * *

**Ily guys!**


	13. Drowning

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o13: Sasuke's job as a lifeguard hasn't been very interesting until he finds some idiot flailing in the deep end.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o13.  
**_Drowning_

"I've worked so long for this beach body," Sakura said, stretching out her long, slender limbs. She received cat calls from various men around the beach, but ignored them.

"Wow, Sakura, you look _hot_," Karin said, pulling out her towel and placing on her sunglasses. "How'd you do it?" Her eyes trailed from Sakura's full breasts secured tightly by her bikini, down to her flat, toned stomach, and perfect thighs.

"Lots of work," Sakura said. "Just for these five minutes or so. I've needed to build my confidence."

She set her towel right next to Karin's, and they both lied down, Sakura on her stomach and Karin on her back. Sakura closed her eyes, allowing herself to tan in peace, when she felt Karin's hand poking her shoulder.

"Yeah?" she asked, peeking an eye open. Then, she saw a man squatting in front of her, a big grin on his face.

"Shit!" she cried, doing her best to contain herself. "Who are you? You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry!" the man sheepishly replied. "I just thought you were cute and I wanted to come over and talk to you. I'm Tomo." He held out his hand, which Sakura nervously took after a pause.

"Hi."

"Buy you a drink?" he asked. "There's a really good smoothie shop where they have the best strawberry smoothies, and I bet you anything that you'd like them."

"Uh…" she glanced over at Karin, who was smirking. "I'm okay. But my _sister_, here," Sakura said, gritting her teeth. "Would love to come with you."

Karin was as equally surprised as Tomo.

"Sakura? Don't you think it's rude to turn down an invitation like that?" Karin snarled. Sakura knew that her friend just wanted to sunbathe, but then again, she had a duty to protect herself as well.

"Well, then," Tomo said, standing up. He obviously wasn't getting what he sought, and didn't want to go to the next best thing. "Maybe later. See you."

He walked away grumbling, leaving both girls to giggle.

"You're a bitch, you know that?" Karin said. "Selling your friend just because you don't want to go."

"Shut up," Sakura laughed. She picked up her towel and removed her sunglasses, tossing them over Karin's body.

"Hey!"

"I'm going to go put my feet in the water. Do you want to come?" she asked, stretching out her body. She noticed that one of her boobs nearly popped out of her top, and quickly fixed that before anybody else could notice. Unfortunately for her, many pairs of eyes had seen the incident already.

"Nah," Karin said. "I need to get rid of this pasty skin."

"Suit yourself." Sakura walked past the jealous eyes of girlfriends and the dropped jaws of their boyfriends, ignoring their gazes. She already had her self-confidence, and that was really enough for her.

Sakura made her way onto the wet sand, loving the feeling of it sinking between her toes. She dug her feet in deeper, allowing the sand to capture her ankles, and almost moaned at how good it felt.

Carefully, she walked deeper into the water, feeling the cold rush against her skin. Biting her lip, she let herself to take the risk and go waist deep, doing her best not to run out and scream like a little girl over the sudden change in temperature.

"Nice waves," she heard a girl call from behind. Sakura turned to see a pretty girl with brown buns in a wetsuit holding a surfboard. "Do you surf?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Do you want to learn?"

Laughing, Sakura held her hands up. "Oh, no, please, I'm just here to play in the water."

"C'mon! It'll be fun!" the stranger took Sakura by the hand and pushed her onto the board, securing her feet.

"I really don't think this is a good idea—"

"I'm TenTen, your teacher for the day, I guess. Always good to have a formal introduction before we do something crazy like this. So, to start out, maintain your balance. It's like you're on a skateboard or something. Have you been on one?"

"No—!" Sakura said, already struggling to stay afloat.

"Well, then, this is like going at it on expert level. Just…if you drown, don't kick. But what do I know? I can't explain things for my life."

Sakura struggled to get the foot clasp off and run away, but it was on there tight. TenTen helped lead her to the next set of waves, and Sakura, knowing there was no way out, braced herself.

"Here's a good one right now," her partner said. TenTen was leaning on the surfboard and treading water, and Sakura looked back at the shore to find Karin, who was merely a speck now.

"We're far out," Sakura breathed.

"Yup! That's where the best waves are."

"I think we should go back."

"Aw, c'mon. Live a little! Here comes one now. Go!"

Sakura felt herself standing on the board, wobbling back and forth. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into, and by the time the wave came, she had fallen face first into the water, the surfboard being the extra weight bringing her down. Holding her breath, she struggled to free herself from the foot clasp.

"Good try," TenTen said. "But maybe we should start on the beginner waves."

"Maybe we should just give up."

"That's not the right attitude! Live a little!"

Sakura gaped. "I don't even _know _you."

TenTen smiled. "I'm TenTen. But you knew that already. Now, I'm going to go farther out. You okay to swim back?"

Sakura gulped, barely able to touch the ground with her toe without submerging her whole head underwater. She called out to TenTen that maybe it would be better for them to go back together, but the girl had already made her way out even farther for bigger waves.

_Shit_, Sakura thought, trying to remember how to kick and move her arms in a simultaneous motion. _What am I going to do?_

.

.

.

Sasuke had already heard news of the pretty girl with pink hair and tight body in a red bikini wandering around the beach. Even Naruto had come to tell him what a _babe_ she was, but coming from Naruto, he took that with a grain of salt.

Still, Sasuke was interested. He used his binoculars in the lifeguard box to survey the area, looking for anybody pink in a red bikini. And he found her; unfortunately, not on land.

It seemed like she was bobbing up and down in the water like a lame buoy, and he took a closer look. Definitely pink hair, but he didn't know if she had the red bikini.

_Get it together, Sasuke! _His conscious told him. _This is no time to be thinking about a supposed hottie. Someone's drowning over there_!

His instinct kicked in. Blowing on his whistle, he jumped from his seat and reached for the lifeguard ring. Swimming madly, he pumped his arms and legs back and forth, his eyes set on the little pink dot threatening to sink into the water.

He saw that her mouth was trying to form words without letting in water, and in his mind, he told her to _kick! KICK!_

Sasuke shouted, "You're going to be okay. I'm coming for you!" but she didn't seem to hear. Sasuke saw that she was starting to give up and that the water would swallow her whole, so he sped up his pace and set his eyes on her, hoping that she wouldn't disappear from his sight.

Just as she began to close her eyes, thinking that this was how she was going to die, she felt water seep through her nostrils and get into her throat. Coughing wildly, she thrashed, struggling to break free from the watery chains, but to no avail.

She felt someone grab her hand and tell her "I got you," but by the time he hauled her towards his body and was swimming back to shore, she was out cold.

.

.

.

"C'mon, Sakura,_ breathe. Breathe_!" Karin said, doing her best to help Sakura wake up. She slapped her friend's face a couple of times and tugged on her hair, and even threatened to strip her in front of everyone if she wouldn't wake up, but Sakura lied there like a limp noodle.

"Move out of the way," Sasuke said. He positioned his hands over Sakura's chest, not knowing where to press—he blushed a little, noticing how her full breasts hung nicely on her body—and awkwardly put them in the valley of her breasts, pressing repeatedly, hoping to get water out of her lungs.

Still nothing.

"Is she dead?" Tomo asked, his arm around another girl he had found. They both were drinking some stupid strawberry smoothie in a curly couples' straw.

"No, her pulse is still there. She's alive," Sasuke said. He asked the crowd, "Can you give me some space?"

Everyone took a step back, but they were all wondering whether this girl would make it out alright.

Pumping her chest wasn't working. He would have to try something else. He tilted her head back and opened her mouth, pinching her nose. He positioned his mouth over hers, lips fitting perfectly with hers, and breathed into her.

Sakura's eyes widened at this handsome stranger giving her CPR, and she pushed him off, immediately coughing up salt water.

"You're okay!" Karin said, hugging her friend. The very sight of two attractive women in bikinis hugging each other caused some to pull out their cell phones and take a picture, before Karin growled.

The crowd began to disperse until it was just Sasuke, Sakura, and Karin.

"You saved my life," Sakura breathed, her eyes glancing up and down her cute savior's body. "Thank you."

"You shouldn't have been out there if you didn't know how to swim," he replied, his voice lecturing.

"It's not my fault! I just came here to wade, and then some girl asks me if I want to learn how to surf and then takes me out into the deep end—"

Sasuke cursed under his breath. "Damnit, Neji, control your girlfriend."

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"This isn't the first time she's done something stupid like this. Fortunately for everyone else, _they _could swim."

Sakura frowned, feeling insulted. "Well, _sorry _you had to go out of your way to save me."

Sasuke wasn't paying attention. He finally had a chance to look closely at the body that everyone else had been raving about, and he agreed that she definitely was a beauty. As a lifeguard, he saw women in bikinis all the time, some of them old and wrinkly, others plump, and some like hot, like model. This girl, however, blew everyone else out of proportion.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, waking up from his thoughts. "You're welcome. I'm Sasuke," he said, holding out his hand.

Sakura took it weakly, still recovering from the incident. "Sakura."

"Well, Sakura," Sasuke said. He figured that God had set up a plan so that he could meet this beautiful stranger, and he wasn't one to mess with fate. "Since we're here, why don't I give you a little lesson?"

Sakura's eyes widened in fear.

"No, nothing like TenTen's. More useful. How about I teach you how to swim?"

Sakura eyed Karin, who grinned. She gave a thumbs up before returning to her towel to sunbathe, leaving the two of them alone.

"Just…don't take me out too far," Sakura warned.

"Don't worry," Sasuke assured her, taking her hand firmly. "I got you."

* * *

**I don't know how surfing works :P**


	14. His Side of the Story

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o14: He figured that she would be happier with someone who could support her and care for her, unlike him. If only she could see it that way.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o14.  
**_His Side of the Story_

"You're better off without me," Sasuke said, handing the charm bracelet Sakura made just for him back to her. He placed it in her palm and closed her hand, his eyes gazing into her tear-filled ones.

"W-What?" she whispered, unable to believe what was happening right now.

"You heard me. I said that you'd be better off without me in your life."

"Sasuke-kun, why are you like this?" she asked. "Yesterday you were so happy to be with me. You were full of life, and carefree, and last night…" Sakura closed her eyes, remembering the passion and the care that flowed through their bodies so seamlessly. Now it was gone.

Sasuke said nothing. He did his best to keep his face as stoic as possible, which only angered Sakura even more.

"You asshole!" she threw the bracelet back at him, and it hit him in the nose. Sasuke flinched, but didn't bother to pick up the trinket that was now at his foot. "You think you can just fuck with me like this? I need an explanation. I _refuse _to let you go without telling me why you want to break up!"

Sasuke lowered his voice. "I've already told you."

"I swear, if you say that 'I'm better off without you' one more time, I swear, I will _claw your fucking eyes out._"

Sasuke thought out his words carefully. He figured _"I don't deserve you" _would indicate somewhat that he still cared and loved her like nothing else, only urging her to fight harder, but the opposite would say the same thing, only harsher. It would let her know that he wasn't worth her time.

"You don't deserve me."

Sakura froze. Her body seemed to shrink, and she couldn't find her words.

He had hurt her, this time once and for all.

Sasuke turned to leave, forcing himself not to look back and wipe the tears away or pick up the bracelet and wear it around his wrist. He bit his lip, telling himself that he would be strong, and that she would be okay.

_You deserve better than me._

.

.

.

Last night, when he was in her, holding her and hearing her cry out his name, he wanted nothing more than to stay like that forever and tell her how much he loved her. His back still had the remnants of last night's passion, and he hoped that those marks would never heal up.

He loved Sakura more than anything else in the world, but knew that he wouldn't be able to care for her as well as Sai could. Sai was wealthy and of a high social class, and here he was working a blue collar job that paid just enough to fulfill the rent and take Sakura out once in a while.

The marriage apparently had already been arranged and was set for July 23rd—his birthday, ironically. Previously he had told Sakura that they could get through it together, show her parents how much they really loved each other, and if that didn't work, well, they would just elope. He figured that their love knew no bounds.

But as the situation kept becoming more prominent and Sasuke realized it was _them_ against _him_, he knew that he was a lost cause. Sasuke knew with a smug satisfaction that he could make Sakura the horniest, without a doubt, and the angriest (in a good way, of course), and especially the happiest. He knew that her heart would always remain faithful to him, no matter how terribly he broke it, and there was no way Sai could _ever _match the intensity of feeling he had for Sakura.

Sitting down on a rock at their favorite park, he began to toss pebbles at the small lake in front of him. Soon, ducks came waddling up, pecking the ground around him, seeing if he had any food.

"Not today, guys," he muttered. His eyes skirted to their tails, and he smirked to himself sadly, remembering how often Sakura would tease him about the similarity of duck butts and his hair.

God, he missed her so much.

.

.

.

Sakura forced herself not to think about Sasuke, but with every passing moment, her heart ached and she wanted so desperately to go to him and beg him to take her back.

She even had a moment of weakness when she picked up the charm bracelet. Sakura forced herself to throw it away in the park lake where she and Sasuke used to cuddle together. But when it stopped floating, and threatened to sink down into the dirty depths, Sakura jumped in and retrieved it. She ignored the strange looks from passerbys as she began to cry, holding the bracelet towards her heart.

"What are you doing here?" Sai asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see him staring intently down at her tear-stricken face, and slid his arm around her.

"I—" she began. Then, all of a sudden, she wept. She buried her face into his arms and cried like a baby in the middle of the park while he held her silently, rocking her back and forth. He said nothing, letting her let out all her emotions, and then wiped her tears with a handkerchief he pulled out of his pocket.

"You'll get sick," he said, motioning to her wet clothes. "Let's go home."

Sakura sniffed, but took his outstretched hand. He brought her close to him in a way that reminded her of Sasuke, but she forgot about him. She didn't need him anyway, not when she had someone as sweet as Sai.

At least, that's what she told herself.

.

.

.

Sai helped undress Sakura one by one, his fingers moving slowly over her clothes. He unbuttoned her blouse carefully, with an artist's touch, and slid it off her body. She was only in her bra and wet skirt, and she blushed furiously.

"You are so beautiful," Sai whispered, kissing her. He held her forearms in his hands.

Sakura's mind drifted off to last night, where Sasuke had treated with her just as much tenderness, if not more. He had always been gentle in their lovemaking, but yesterday was like nothing else; he treated her as if she were a porcelain doll about to crack, fragile under the touch. She thought it was because she was precious to him. Now, she thought—_and knew—_otherwise.

"You're crying," Sai said, sliding off her skirt. "Are you thinking about him?"

Sakura bit her lip and shook her head.

"Liar," he whispered, kissing her tears. "I'm going to make you forget all about him."

He laid her down onto the bed, and she stared blankly up at the ceiling, waiting for Sai to undress himself. When he was done, he positioned himself over her.

"Wait," she said, stopping him. Her hand was on his chest. "Please, no."

"No?" he asked.

"No. I can't—I can't do this."

Sai sighed, but agreed. He slid off her body and wrapped a blanket around her tightly.

"You'll get cold," he said. "Wear this."

Sakura bundled herself up, facing the other way, while Sai sat on the edge of the bed. He was still naked and didn't bother putting on his clothes, but he also knew that there was no way he would get to touch Sakura tonight. Not in her condition.

_Fuck Uchiha Sasuke_, he thought.

.

.

.

"He's going to give you a better life," Sasuke told himself, watching his reflection repeat the words in the mirror. "It doesn't seem like it now, but you'll be happier with him. We love each other now, but love doesn't pay the bills. When we grow older, we're going to fight more. What has to get fixed? Who's paying what? Why don't I ever pay attention to you anymore? It's going to be struggle providing for both of us, and it pains me to know that I can't give you the life you deserve."

Sasuke took a deep breath, forcing himself to believe the words he just said.

"You can learn to love people. Sai has everything he can give you. He's attractive enough, I guess. But he's rich, and will shower you with jewels and clothes and everything I can't. You'll forget about me soon enough."

Sasuke stared back into his reflection. Then, he drew up his fist, and smashed against the glass, hard enough to leave bruises.

"That's what I keep telling myself," he muttered, pressing his forehead against the cool surface. "But we both know that's a lie."

_end of part 1_

* * *

**I'm trying my hand out at angst :P REVIEWS please!**


	15. Her Side of the Story

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o15: Sakura finds out the real reason why Sasuke left her.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o15.  
**_Her Side of the Story_

Days passed, turning into weeks. Sasuke hadn't seen Sakura for so long, but still remembered her, clear as day. Sometimes when he was sleeping, he could even see her lying next to him, stroking his hair. She'd be smiling, asking him what he was dreaming about. But when he went out to hold her, she would disappear, and he would wake up in a cold sweat.

He wondered if Sai had slept with her yet. Part of him wanted to know if she still considered _him _the better lover, or if she had truly remained stuck on Sasuke and refused Sai completely. Either way, he wanted to punch Sai in the jaw for even thinking of laying his dirty, rich hands on Sakura.

Kami, he missed her. He noticed that her nail marks were starting to disappear, and he felt desperate to keep those reminders of her.

He started to pick at those marks until they bled again, reminding him of how good he made her feel.

.

.

.

"The wedding's in a couple days, Sakura," Sai said, holding her hand. They were alone in his living room, not bothered by any servants or butlers waiting on them.

"Yeah," she replied. She didn't bother to look him in the eye.

"Are you excited?"

_No. I'm pretty fucking far from excited._

She gave her best smile. "Yeah," she repeated. "I am."

"Would you like to…" he leaned in close to her ear, licking the outer shell with his tongue. "Consummate the marriage that night?"

Sakura turned her head to face him, giving him the biggest, yet fakest, smile she could muster.

"_Sounds great_," she said, almost seething. Sai didn't notice. He kissed her hand and then her mouth, bringing her onto his lap.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Have you got your dress yet?"

"I have." It was her dream dress, one that she'd always described to Sasuke. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be wearing it down the aisle with him.

Instead, it would be with some stranger whom she'd have to spend the rest of her miserable life with.

"Well," he smiled. "I can't wait to see it."

.

.

.

The whole town knew about Sakura's marriage to Sai, and everyone was already getting their best clothing fixed for the wedding. It was open to all, and Sakura knew that Sai just wanted to give a big "fuck you" to Sasuke to tell him that_ he _was the alpha male, and he would be the one to make Sakura happy.

It did successfully anger Sasuke, and he tore down every last flyer of Sakura and Sai's engagement on every telephone pole or shop window he saw. In anger, he crumpled them up and shredded them into tiny little bits, watching them fly away in the air.

He wanted to go back to Sakura and take her back, but thought otherwise. Not only would there be dire consequences—Sai would do everything in his power to make sure Sasuke never saw Sakura again—he couldn't take those hidden opportunities away from Sakura. It would only be selfish of him.

"So," Naruto began, watching his best friend grit his teeth angrily at yet another poster of Sakura and Sai. "You seem…off."

"You think?"

Naruto didn't know much about the story between Sasuke and Sakura, other than the fact that they broke up.

"You're turning twenty-two in a couple days. Grow up, man. Life isn't fair. So she dumped you, or you dumped her. Either way, she's moved on. Follow her lead and find a hotter girl to make her jealous."

"I don't want anyone else but her," Sasuke growled softly to himself. Naruto didn't seem to hear, which was fine by him. He wouldn't understand anyway.

"You going to the wedding?" Naruto asked.

"…Yeah," Sasuke replied, defeated.

.

.

.

On the day of the wedding, Sasuke put on his best suit with a white lily in the breastpocket. He knew that was Sakura's favorite flower, and it would make him stand out among the red and pink roses.

Sasuke stood in the mirror, trying to straighten his tie. He did his best to look sharp for the event, and to show Sai that yes, he was stronger than he thought, and that he wouldn't go down without a proper fight.

The doorbell began to ring furiously, and Sasuke, knowing Naruto was downstairs ready to pick him up, shouted back.

"I'm coming, dobe, shut up!"

Sasuke allowed himself to fix his clothing one more time before heading down. With an exasperated look, he yanked open the door and asked harshly, "_What_?"

In front of him was Sakura. Her hair was in a neat bun with two lone strands curled around her face. Her eyes were dotted with simple, elegant makeup, and her lips and cheeks shone with pink. She was wearing the fairytale wedding dress he so often heard her rave about.

Now she was here in front of him, and she never looked more beautiful.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered, her lips barely moving. Sasuke was awestruck. His eyes were glued onto her face, missing the woman he longed for so much.

"Sakura," he said. "What are you doing here?"

He felt her take his wrist and slide the charm bracelet back on. Oh, how he missed that thing! His wrist always felt empty without it.

"I love _you_," she said. "Not Sai. Just you. And I know that you've been lying to _both _of us. I know. Sasuke-kun, I've been thinking about you night and day and all the reasons why you'd want to break up, and I should have known it was probably because you wanted to play 'hero.' But we're in this together, and you can't dictate my life for me without me having a say in it!"

Her eyes began to water, and Sasuke quickly wiped them away before it had a chance to ruin her beautiful makeup.

"Don't deny it," she choked. "You still love me. Say it!"

Sasuke knew she was right. "I love you."

"And you hate the idea of me being with another man, especially Sai. You want me all for yourself. You want me to be happy, but how can I when _you're _miserable? You're a jealous man, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yes." Right, right, all right.

"I just want to be with _you_."

Sasuke took her hands in his, clasping them tight. He nodded.

"I'm not marrying Sai."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "You have to," he said weakly. "He's going to—"

"I don't care what he's going to give me! He could give me all the material possessions I wanted, and I still wouldn't be happy if I didn't have you!" Sakura let a lone tear fall.

Sasuke took her into his arms, embracing her. He missed the warmth that she gave him, and the very smell of her brought back such erotic memories that his face began to warm.

"We'll find a way to make it work," he promised. "But if you're so certain that you're not going to marry him—"

"I'm sure," she interrupted.

"Then don't go. Stay with me. We'll elope, if you want. We'll do it. But right now, we need to make up for lost time." He kissed her hungrily, missing the feeling of her mouth under his. His arms picked her up, and they looped under her thighs securely as her back pressed against the wall. He gave her a small, comforting smile, and stroked her cheek.

"I missed you so much," she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He pulled off a sleeve of the dress and kissed the exposed, creamy collarbone.

"Don't worry," he promised. "I'm never leaving you again."

* * *

**NARUTO 685 HOLY FUCKING SHIT LIKE WHAT DO I EVEN DO WITH MY FEELINGS**


	16. Indestructible

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o16: He thinks he doesn't deserve her love. She tells him that he's worth everything.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o16.  
**_Indestructible_

Sasuke sat silently in front of Sakura, waiting for her to speak. He noticed the way she picked at her fingernails and how she crossed her legs at a certain angle.

"You've changed," he finally said, realizing that it was no use trying to get her to speak first.

"How so?" she asked. She didn't look up from her hand, chipping away the green nail polish.

"You've…matured, I guess." He noticed how her personality had grown from this annoying, crying little girl to this stunning young woman in front of him. Not only had _she _changed, her body had as well. He noted with satisfaction at the curves that were present on her lean figure.

"Oh," she said. "Thanks."

Sasuke noticed the small scars at the base of her neck and winced, remembering how, in his insanity state, he had choked her and almost killed her. He tried to block out the memory of her gasping for air, prying his hand off her, constricting her airway, but it kept coming back to him.

"Not all of me has changed," Sakura said, looking up from her nails and into his eyes. "I'm still Sakura, I mean. I'm still bitchy towards Naruto, I still cry a lot, and I still love you."

Sasuke tried not to show his surprise. He remained still, seeing if she would continue.

"Yeah," she added. "I don't really know why. Everyone's just been telling me, 'oh, he's not good for you,' or 'he's just going to break your heart,' or 'he's just bad news.' Which isn't totally_ wrong_," Sakura said, watching Sasuke frown. "But they don't see what I see in you."

"What do you see?" he asked softly, almost afraid of her response.

Sakura uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands.

"Well," she began, smiling. "There's a lot of things I love about you. First, in a silly way, you're unbelievably beautiful. It's almost unfair how gorgeous you are. But I know that's a lame response, so just ignore that. I love the fact that you're passion driven, and when you've got your eyes set on a goal, you refuse to let that go. You will work and work until you achieve it, and that fire that you've got in your soul—that's really admirable. And _sexy_."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion, although he did feel flattered.

"I love how even though you rarely show emotion, you still have a soft spot in you. You think that me and Naruto and Sai and Kakashi are all annoying as hell, which, granted, we are, but I can tell you care about us. You love us. We're your family. Don't try to deny it, because I know," she giggled. "The way you shake hands with Naruto after sparring or make small, awkward talk with Sai…or even let Kakashi read to you from one of his books. And even the way that you fight me while _we're_ sparring. It seems like you go easy on me, even though I could beat you fair and square. It's like you're afraid to hurt me again or something."

Sasuke said nothing.

"Maybe I'm just reading too much into things. I don't know. There are a million reasons why I like you."

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed. "Sakura, you shouldn't waste your time on me."

"It's not wasting time!" she laughed. "You're special to me."

"But," he began, not wanting to bring up a touchy topic. The past was in the past, and there was no use bringing back old memories. "What about all the terrible things I've done to you? Doesn't that outweigh the good?"

"Oh, Sasuke," she smiled. "You're an idiot. My love for you is indestructible. I've always loved you. That's not going to change, no matter how many times you try to kill me."

Sasuke winced.

"I don't deserve your love," he said softly. "Especially one so powerful and meaningful as yours."

Sakura leaned over to cup his cheek, stroking the rough skin gently.

"You deserve everything I can give you," she smiled. "And my love is the most precious thing I can offer."

* * *

**I'm still freaking out over 685 don't even try to console me**


	17. Monster

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o17: He's no longer the Sasuke-kun she loved so dearly.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o17.  
**_Monster_

She didn't recognize the man standing in front of her. He looked like Sasuke, but he _wasn't _Sasuke. His hair was mussed in such a wild way, and his eyes were full of anger and insanity. Several wounds and stabs already clothed his body, and she knew that he was severely vulnerable.

He no longer looked like the man she fell in love with.

"Who are you?" she asked, watching him cackle wildly, enjoying the bloodbath around him. He panted heavily, his hand glowing blue with his Chidori, and he surveyed the area to see Sakura in front of him.

"Sakura," he growled. "Get out of my way."

"Not until you tell me what you've done with my Sasuke!" she argued. Sakura took a kunai out of her bag, hiding it behind her, planning her movements appropriately so that she could maximize the effectiveness of her attack.

"He's gone, Sakura," Sasuke said in a hoarse voice. "He's _been _gone ever since he left you whimpering in Konoha. He has bigger dreams, something that _you _can't fulfill."

Sakura felt a pang in her heart from the harshness of his words, but growled back. As harsh as the old Sasuke was to her, he was never this cruel. She knew that he cared for her, while this Sasuke…she didn't even know what had happened to him.

"Sakura-chan, watch out!" Naruto called from behind. She turned around to see him leaping in front of her, and in the next second, she had her arms around his neck and her face buried against his chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, raising his voice in a way he'd never addressed her before. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Sakura couldn't find the right words to speak. Naruto's hands were still firmly grasping her body close to him, and she knew that he wouldn't let her go, no matter what. He saw the stubbornness in her eyes and the kunai in her hand and knew what she wanted to do.

"This is not your battle," Naruto growled. "Don't think you can win this."

"I have to," Sakura said, struggling to break free from Naruto's hold. "I need my Sasuke-kun back." She elbowed Naruto's chest and stood on her own feet, her knees wobbling violently. The kunai shook in her hands, and she forced herself to have a steady grip.

_I have to do it_, she told herself. _I need to do this for him. _Her wet eyes looked up in front of her to see the monster she loved so dearly. She saw him approaching her, with wild frenzy in his eyes. Her grip on the kunai loosened as she felt her heart thump wildly for him.

_…I can't do it._

* * *

**edited to make it more realistic**


	18. Dropping Your Guard

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o18: Sasuke allows himself to drop his guard to ask his cute teaching assistant out.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o18.  
**_Dropping Your Guard_

"Here," Sasuke muttered, handing Sakura a stack of papers. "It's my midterm test."

Sakura took the heavy load from his hands and began to rifle through the papers of neat handwriting and formulas. She looked up at him in confusion.

"Do you want me to grade this? Because as a teacher's assistant, I can only give you comments. I can't actually give you the grade itself."

"Do whatever you'd like with it. I couldn't find Professor Hatake, so I thought that you'd be the next best thing." Sasuke winced, realizing that his choice of words was poor, and wished he could take it back. Sakura didn't seem affected, however, and finished looking through his papers before smiling at him.

"I'll let him know," she said. "Thanks, Uchiha-san."

"Sasuke," he said. "Just call me Sasuke."

The smile never left Sakura's face. "Okay, Sasuke. Thanks again. I'm also not supposed to say this, but judging by your work—" she leaned in close. "I think you aced it."

"Aa."

"Have a good day, Sasuke," Sakura said, tucking her hair behind her ear. She looked down at the many stacks of college freshmen's essays she had to critique, and paid no more attention to him as he walked away. Sasuke allowed himself one more glance before walking out the door and into fresh air.

.

.

.

While he sat in his dorm, sharing a cigarette with Naruto, who lounged on the bed opposite Sasuke's, Sasuke let his mind drift back to the first day of class with Sakura. He closed his eyes and remembered the pale pink sweater she had on, along with the puffy flowered skirt, and thought that she looked like a hot mess walking around in such odd clothing. He was sitting at the top of the class, near the exit, so he couldn't quite get a good look at her face, but the second she spoke, he was shocked.

Her voice was confident and strong, and that was one of the first things he admired about her. So many other girls he'd met were too feminine with their voices: they were too soft, too high, too cutesy, too baby-ish…the list went on and on. But Sakura's sounded like she knew what she was doing, and suddenly he didn't care about how she dressed or what exactly she looked like.

"I'm Sakura," she began. "I'm going to be Professor Hatake's teaching assistant for the rest of the year, and hopefully for the future years as well. This is my first time, so please be patient with me. I was a student not too long ago here as well, under Professor Hatake, so let me know if there's anything I can help you with. I'm very open and outgoing." She gave a small bow and folded her hands over her legs, watching Kakashi continue with the rest of the introduction. But Sasuke wasn't listening; he craned his neck closer to see this Sakura person, and for some reason envied the students sitting in the front row. They got to see all of that disgusting, flowery glory, and the pink hair and everything else that was her.

Judging by the other craned necks of the men in the room, he suspected that she was more attractive than the average assistant.

.

.

.

"She is so cute," Naruto said, putting out his cigarette and tossing it. "I know this sounds crazy, but would it be weird if I asked Sakura out on a date? I mean, she's like, four or five years older than us. Right? We're adults now, so it's not like there's any legal problems with that. Plus, older women are sexy."

"You only think Sakura is sexy. Every time you see older women, you pretend to throw up," Sasuke smirked.

"Yeah? Well—" Naruto blushed. "You think she's pretty too!"

Sasuke said nothing. He neither denied Naruto's accusation nor accepted it. He kept quiet, taking another puff of his cigarette and watching his breath turn into smoke.

"Don't you?" Naruto asked again.

"Hn," Sasuke replied. "I guess."

"What do you mean, you _guess_? Don't think I haven't seen the way your eyes focus on her during class, or how you always make excuses to go to her office hours."

"…Is it obvious?" Sasuke asked, his voice quiet.

"Aha! So I'm right! Who would have thought? Uchiha Sasuke, dropping his guard and allowing himself to find girls attractive. Forget about me, man. We got to get you two together. It's only right."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked. He took a final puff and likewise tossed his cigarette. "Nothing's going to happen."

"Not with that attitude. Now, let's see." Naruto crossed his legs, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "What do you think Sakura likes? I know! Let's get her a puppy!"

Sasuke shook his head. "Absolutely not. We don't even know each other that well."

"She knows your name, doesn't she?"

"She knows everybody's name, Naruto. It's her job."

"Ah. Well. Why don't you guys go out for drinks?"

Sasuke squinted. "Too unprofessional. It wouldn't look good for either of us, especially if someone were to see."

"Come on, teme! You've at least got to try for your own good. Because if you're not…" Naruto trailed off, a huge smirk appearing on his face. Sasuke knew that wasn't a good sign.

"Then I'll just go for her instead."

"_Absolutely not_," Sasuke snarled.

"Then it's settled! Drinks. I'll be your watchdog and make sure nobody sees you guys. Don't worry, I'll be super secretive, and I won't bother you on your date at all."

"You promise?" Sasuke asked, obviously wary.

"Pinky swear." Naruto held out his pinky, which Sasuke refused to take. He simply looked at it until Naruto sheepishly took it back.

"Just tell me how she kisses, alright?"

Sasuke threw a pillow at his face.

.

.

.

"It was really nice of you to invite me out for drinks, Sasuke," Sakura said. She was better dressed tonight, in dark pants and a purple blouse. Sasuke shrugged in response, leading her to a barstool and settling down next to her.

Sakura ordered her drink and then smiled towards Sasuke. "What do you want?" she asked him.

"Shot is fine," he muttered. He hadn't been paying attention to what Sakura had been saying, and he couldn't believe that he had actually had the courage to barge into her office and ask her if she wanted to get drinks with him.

"Here you go," the bartender said, pouring each of them their drinks. He smiled at Sakura, a little too friendly for Sasuke's liking. "Strong drink; even my big guys can't handle it. Are you sure you can?"

Sakura winked. "Like everyone else, you all underestimate me." She tilted her head back and downed the drink in four big gulps, settling down the empty glass with a pleasured sigh. She turned towards Sasuke, obviously surprised. He could smell the alcohol in her drink and wondered how she hadn't passed out yet.

"There's a lot that people don't know about me," she said.

"I want to know you," he replied. "I want to know everything."

.

.

.

From downing drinks to laughing about his stupid essays to slow dancing in Sakura's apartment to soft jazz, Sasuke wondered how he got into this whole mess. He allowed himself to be taken back by the cute teaching assistant who previously hadn't spared him more than a glance, and was now in his arms and moving with his body to the beat of the music.

"Nice song," he said, moving her awkwardly back and forth. He didn't know how to dance, and if Sakura did, she wasn't helping him at all.

"One of my favorites," she smiled. Sasuke's hand tightened around her waist protectively, and he felt Sakura grip his shoulder.

"I like it," she said out of the blue. "I like how you take risks. How you allow yourself to drop your guard and experience some new things. I know you're kind of an introvert, but asking me out like this…well, that was pretty darned brave of you."

"I had to try to find out," he said.

"I'm glad you did." She looked up at him and drew herself away from his arms. "I had a really fun time tonight."

"Me too," Sasuke admitted. He wanted to pull Sakura back.

"I hope that we can have more soon."

He ignored all thoughts of inappropriateness and crossing the line and took Sakura back into his arms for a romantic embrace. He pressed his lips against her hair and massaged the back of her neck.

"I'd like that," he murmured. "I'd like that very much."

* * *

**I know some of you guys were unhappy with the last chapter. Sorry if you didn't like it; I can't make you change your minds. :P**

**You can always feel free to message me privately to let me know what your thoughts and complaints are - they will stay secret :)**

**UPDATE: I did change a couple things in chapter 17 to make it more realistic.**


	19. Rusty

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o19: Sasuke wants to ask Sakura out, but his dating skills are a little rusty...

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o19.  
**_Rusty_

"I'm going to do it," Sasuke told his brother. "I'm going to ask Sakura out." His fists were clenched, and he bit his lip so hard he could already taste the copper seeping into his mouth. Itachi looked up with a bemused glance before looking back down at his magazine.

"Took you long enough," he smirked. "Good luck."

"See, this is kind of the problem. I haven't asked a girl out before."

Itachi chuckled. "Haven't you had girlfriends?"

"Yeah, but they asked _me _out. It's completely different."

Itachi noticed the strong stare in Sasuke's eyes; the hope and the passion were both there. However, he had no clue what to do with either of those feelings.

"You're saying that your dating skills are rusty?"

"Very."

Itachi patted the empty seat on the couch next to him. He smiled and asked Sasuke to take a seat.

"Let's practice. Pretend I'm Sakura. Now, Sasuke, I'm going to be watering my plants—"

"Sakura doesn't have plants."

"Fine. I'm going to be doing whatever Sakura does. Now, I just want you to play along. Pretend I'm her. Okay?"

Itachi began to move his hands in all different directions to simulate different kinds of motions. He pretended to be eating, then drinking, then putting on makeup and painting his nails…

"Sakura?" Sasuke began. The whole thing was stupid, and he could barely take his brother seriously. Especially when Itachi donned the stupid falsetto.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" Itachi responded, his voice unbearably high. Sasuke was beginning to suspect that this wasn't a façade anymore, and that Itachi really thought he was Sakura.

Sasuke growled. "Forget it. I'll do this myself. You're absolutely no help at all, you know that?"

"Are you sure you don't want my help? I got some good tips that are sure to make her say yes, and—hey, Sasuke, don't you walk away from me! Don't you _dare _walk away from your older brother. I'm talking to you! Are you deaf? I'm—"

But Sasuke was already out the door and in his car by the time Itachi finished.

.

.

.

Sasuke was surprised that he indeed _did _find Sakura watering her new plants. She had on a big sunhat that acted as a makeshift umbrella, covering her whole body with shade. Her hands were stained with ugly dirt and he saw beads of sweat trickle down her temple and onto her red knees.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Sakura called out, wiping the excess sweet with her arm. "How are you?"

Sasuke eyed her garden and her tools. "Nice…hoe," he blurted out, not knowing what to say. His eyes focused on the tool lying at her feet, clothed with dirt. He had a habit of saying the first thing he saw.

(His eyes should have focused on something else).

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked. "Did you just call me a hoe?"

"No! Of course not—I just meant you had a nice…uh, you have a lot of weed, I see." Sasuke congratulated himself for avoiding the topic, but he hadn't realized that he had _dug himself into a deeper hole _with the weed pun.

"Sasuke, are you being stupid right now or something? What's wrong with you?" Sakura asked. She took off her sunhat, gripping the edge tightly in her hands. Sasuke could tell that she was pissed.

But, unlike any other sane person, he didn't apologize. He merely tried to mend the situation by adding on more and more stupid things to say that made him look like a fool.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just telling you how much I admire the fact that you get down and dirty with your job. After all, someone like you doing hard labor and allowing herself to get a little messy once in a while? Dedication."

By the time he finished his indirect whore/women are feminine, mysterious creatures and should be locked up in their kitchens insult, Sakura was _flaming_. Any other person could have seen the smoke whistle out of Sakura's eardrums and her eyes lighting up with unmatched ire, but Sasuke, who thought that his rusty dating skills were being put to good use, smirked to himself.

_Take that, Itachi,_ he thought.

All of a sudden, he felt the cold _clunk _of a shovel over his head. Sasuke pressed a hand to his temple, feeling his mind throb rabidly under the touch, and he stumbled backwards a couple steps before falling back onto his bottom.

"What the hell?" he asked.

"I should ask you the same thing! How dare you come over to me and start calling me all these degrading things? Do you want to fight? Because we can fight. I'll take you on," Sakura argued, rolling up her sleeves.

"That's not it at all—I came over here because I wanted to…well, ask you something."

"Ask me what? Why I don't just bring my couch outside on the front lawn and smoke my home-grown _weed _while having my _hoe _friends around? Is that it?" Sakura began jumping on her feet, preparing punches like a boxer ready to fight.

"Absolutely not—I just wanted to ask you out."

"…Huh?" Sakura immediately stood still. One sleeve rolled back down, and she cocked her eyebrow.

"On a date. I wanted to see if you'd…ugh, Kami, I don't know. If you'd want to go see a movie or something sometime?"

"…What?"

"God. Do I have to repeat myself?" Sasuke growled. He still couldn't think right, and his vision was starting to blur and twirl around in front of him. He swore he saw stars.

Sasuke made a mental note to go get himself checked later.

Sakura clunked him on the head one more time. "You idiot!" she cried. "If you wanted to ask me that, why didn't you just say so?" She helped him up from the ground and put her arm around his waist, making sure she could fully support his weight. She began to walk him towards the patio, where she set him down in a soft patio chair.

"I haven't done this before," Sasuke admitted. He could feel the new hit starting to affect his speech as well, and he feared that soon he would end up like Popeye.

Sakura snorted. "Figures."

"Whatever. Anyway, are you done making fun of my dating skills? So I'm a little rusty."

Sakura's eyes softened. She left him hanging as she rushed into her house and came back out with a wet towel and a cup of iced tea. She gently dabbed the towel onto his forehead and tilted his head back to help him drink the liquid.

"Well," she began. "It would be nice to go out with you."

"Really?" Sasuke said. He tried not to seem _too _happy, but couldn't help the smirk appearing on the side of his face.

"But not yet. Until you can become more charismatic and not respond to a 'how are you?' with 'nice, hoe,' you're going to stay single for a while. Why don't we practice learning how to approach a woman, okay?"

Sasuke groaned. "It took guts to come here. Just say yes, alright?"

Sakura smirked. "No."

* * *

**I love OOC Sasuke :)**


	20. My Mistake

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o20: As if Sakura's day weren't bad enough, she had to go and spill coffee all over a handsome stranger.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o20.  
**_My Mistake_

Sakura wanted to _die._

She felt her face heat up in embarrassment as the handsome stranger in front of her was soaked, from waist to thigh, with her scalding hot coffee that cost her her last paycheck. She moaned to herself, pressing her face into her hands.

He must have been _furious _with her.

"I am _so sorry_," Sakura began. She picked up the cup and took some napkins out of her purse. Sakura used her foot to stomp on the wet floor, and then began to wipe the man's pants off as best as she could, cursing when she realized that her tissues were too thin for such a mess.

"It's my mistake," she said. "Please forgive me. I didn't mean for this to happen. I—"

She didn't even know. What's worse was that the man didn't even respond. He didn't even lash out at her to tell her how much of a worthless failure she was and how she should watch her steps.

Sakura wished he would have shown _some _sort of emotion. Instead, there was nothingness.

And now, she could add "dumping coffee on someone" to her shit list of the day as well.

.

.

.

The day hadn't been going too well for Sakura overall. Her alarm clock had apparently broken overnight, causing her to wake up at eleven in the morning: _three _hours later than her work shift. Struggling to get out of bed, she jumped off the mattress only to have her foot tangled by the blankets that begged her to stay, and she felt her chin meet the cold floor in an ungraceful _thump_.

"This is not good," she muttered to herself, prying her body out of the sheets. "Not good at all."

She decided to skip out on brushing her teeth and grabbed only an apple for breakfast, thinking she would just stop by and get some lunch later at work.

Unfortunately for her, the apple didn't do enough to sate her hunger for as long as it needed to, and her stomach grumbled loudly during the business meeting in which all eyes were on her. The officials from Suna's medical department did their best not to laugh at Sakura, who bent over slightly in discomfort, hoping to erase the sounds of any more grumbles.

Tsunade showed no pity at Sakura's embarrassment, and berated her from shaming Konoha Hospital like that, along with showing up late halfway in the meeting and interrupting the agenda. She sighed and told Sakura it was best if she just took the day off. It would be good for both of them, and Sakura could finally get some lunch to fill up that empty stomach of hers.

So after spending her paycheck on an old breakfast sandwich—which she knew would give her hell later—and a coffee, Sakura contemplated throwing away her life in the river and hoping that it would drown all her sorrows away and hopefully her as well.

It was then that she felt her coffee fly up from her hand and onto the ground and _him_.

His long bangs covered his eyes, and his mouth was firm in a solid line. It did not frown, nor did it smile. His hands were clenched into tight fists, and Sakura swore she saw his long torso shake slightly as she realized her coffee had drenched him from the waist down.

"Kami," she breathed. "Are you alright?"

She tried to look past those bangs and into his eyes, which she hoped were not as blazing as the temperature of her vanilla latte, but received no response.

The heat trickled from her sour stomach up towards her chest, inching closer and closer to her neck until she swore she could feel all 98.6 degrees of her just concentrate in her cheeks.

"I am _so _sorry," she blurted.

.

.

.

Sakura didn't know why she was nearly on her knees, trying to wipe up coffee on a stranger's pants. Her knuckles grazed his groin at least four times already—on accident, mind you—and anyone else who was watching the situation assumed that the pink haired freak was just feeling this guy up.

"Here," the man said, taking the tissues from Sakura's hand. "I can do it."

Sakura flustered. "Are you sure? I mean, it was my fault, and I feel like I should be the one to pay for it—"

"Don't worry about it."

"It was my mistake, and I need to fix it—"

"It wasn't your fault. I wasn't watching where I was going." Sasuke wiped up his pants uselessly, sighing as he realized Naruto would give him hell for looking like he pissed himself. He stuffed the wet tissues into his pocket and shook his hair out of his face.

"Sasuke," he said. He stuck out his hand for Sakura to take, which she looked at suspiciously. She took it anyway, figuring she owed him that much.

"Sakura," she replied.

"Pleasure's all mine," he said.

Sakura snorted. "Funny."

Sasuke nodded towards her coffee and tried to ignore the fact that his leg stuck to the sticky vanilla coating on his pants. He needed to go home and take a shower soon, because he felt utterly disgusting.

The only thing stopping him from raging out was the fact that this cute girl was literally about to fall onto her knees in front of him and beg for forgiveness. Her face looked like she had gone through some shit previously, and as much as he wanted to just tell her "watch it" and walk away huffing, he couldn't.

"I need to get you another one," he said. "It's my fault that you dropped it."

"Absolutely not! I was the one who spilled it on you."

"Still my fault, though. How much was it?"

"No. No, no, Sasuke. What you need to do right now is get your filthy ass home and take a nice, long bath. Soak away any of your troubles that I might have caused and then walk away feeling relaxed but also like you should have flipped me off. Meanwhile, I'm just going to go home and whine about my life for a little bit, and then watch Magic Mike and go to bed. Capisce?"

Sasuke chuckled. "You're amusing, Sakura."

"I hate you," she frowned, crossing her arms.

"We just met."

"I hate you already…meanieface."

He raised an eyebrow. "Meanieface?"

"Look, I've just gone ahead and made the situation more awkward than it already was. I just say we go our separate ways and never see each other again. And if we _do_ see each other, we will never acknowledge each other's presence. It'll be like we didn't even see each other."

"…Do you even know what you're saying right now?"

"I'm saying that I want to go home and watch Magic Mike!"

"Fine." He reached for his wallet, and as Sakura was telling him that he shouldn't pay for the coffee and that she wouldn't accept any of his money, he pulled out a scrap piece of paper and a pen and began writing furiously on it.

"What is that?" she asked.

"It was your mistake bumping into me. Alright? Your fault I'm covered in some gross, expensive Starbucks sugar."

"Hey—!"

"_But_," he continued. "It was my fault giving you _this_," he said, slapping the paper down into her hand. "Do what you like with it, Sakura. So maybe this is the last time we'll see each other. We'll never see each other again, and if we do, we'll pretend that we didn't. To quote you, of course."

Sakura frowned. Her eyes focused on the characters on the paper as Sasuke turned to leave.

_ COFFEE, MEANIEFACE_

_123-555-0723_

Sakura looked up from the paper to argue with Sasuke again on how meanieface was _her _word and that he had no right to use it, but he had already disappeared.

"Asshole," she muttered to herself. But she reached in her purse for her cell phone and entered in her new contact, deciding she would take him up on his offer.

* * *

**:D**


	21. Rewind the Time

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o21: Sasuke asks for a few more moments to spend with Sakura before she leaves him for good.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o21.  
**_Rewind the Time_

Sasuke was used to the lonely sounds of a hospital room. The only sounds came from the machine holding on to the lonely thread of life Sakura had left.

She looked like _shit_.

Her skin was deathly pale, and her eyes no longer shone with that ferocity he loved so much. Her pink hair seemed to dim considerably into a grayish-red, and her voice was no longer the same voice that used to tell him how much she loved him every night.

Despite what she looked like, she was still his Sakura. He still loved her more than anything else in the world, and while he gripped her limp hand in his firm, strong one, his eyes pleaded with hers.

"Please," he begged, although he was certain that she couldn't hear him. The nurses had come in and given her more medication, and Sakura's conscience was starting to fade in and out. Nevertheless, Sasuke had never left her side once, except when forced out of the building by security.

"Please, baby, don't do this to me," Sasuke said. He felt tears at the back of his eyes threatening to fall, but he swore to himself that Sakura's last memories of him would not be him crying. He was her rock, her strength, and if he crumbled…well, that was reason enough for her to end it all, too.

Sakura amassed all of her strength to tilt her head slightly so that she could see Sasuke. She gave a weak smile, and he could see the past Sakura aching to reach out and kiss him.

"You're going to be okay," he said, although they both knew that was a complete lie. He gripped her hand even harder for his own sake, as if to let himself know that Sakura was still with him. _Still_.

"I don't—" she began. Her voice was weak, and Sasuke knew it pained her to get even the smallest sound out. The fact that she was trying to talk to him made his heart swell.

"Yeah, Sakura?" he said, urging her to continue.

"I don't think I'm going to make it."

Sasuke felt his heart sink back into his stomach. He loosened the grip on her hand and fell back into his seat, his eyes empty. Sakura, the love of his life, the one who helped him get through everything, had given up.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," she whispered. Tears welled at her eyes, and she had no control over them .They fell freely under the tubes in her nose and into her mouth. Sasuke didn't have the energy to wipe them away.

"Don't you dare give up on me, Sakura," Sasuke snarled. "You can do this. Fight, Sakura. Where's the strong girl I loved so much?"

Sakura shook her head. "She's not here anymore, Sasuke-kun. She already died a long time ago."

"SAKURA!" he shouted in anger. "Don't say that—"

"You know it's true."

Sasuke buried his face in his hands. "Sakura, please don't leave me like this. Don't you _dare _leave me like this. I thought you loved me!"

Sakura choked. "I do love you. I love you more than anything."

"Then you'll fight. You'll stay alive."

Sakura used all the strength she could muster to reach for his hand. She curled her fingers around his and gave him another weak smile.

"You must remember all the memories we've shared together. Not just the good ones. Remember the bad ones, too. All our silly little fights and arguments and the times we thought we weren't going to make it but did. Remember those. Cherish them."

"I will," he promised.

"Then find someone new to make memories with," she continued.

Sasuke stared at her with astonished eyes. Sakura, who had gotten jealous over any other woman showing attention to Sasuke, was now telling him to love someone else?

He knew that she really felt like she was at her end.

"No," he growled. "Absolutely not. I made a promise to you that it would _only _be you in my heart. No one else. There can be no one else."

"You say that now," she said. "But once I'm actually—" she struggled to find the correct word, but couldn't. "You'll feel lonely, and I can't let you beat yourself up over me. I would want you to be happy."

"I just want you."

Sakura's motions became more and more tense. It became harder for her to speak and to move, and Sasuke knew that there was very little time left before…he gulped. He couldn't bring himself to accept the fact that the person he cared about so much would soon drift from his grasp into nothingness.

"Where did all the time go?" he murmured, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "It only seemed like yesterday we were laughing over which sheets to get for our new bed and then me taking you on it."

He gripped her hand in his once more and stared up, closing his eyes. He let the tears fall and began to cry.

"God," he begged. "Please. Please, let me just rewind the time. That's all I ask of you. Rewind the time so that I can cherish those precious moments I had with Sakura. Let her be Sakura one more time."

Sakura's eyes had closed. The machine was still beeping, but very weakly. He knew it was almost time.

Gently, he lifted her and moved her to the side of the bed. He carefully stepped in, sadly smiling to himself as he wrapped his arms around her waist. It reminded him of their first bed in college; small, cramped, and smelly.

"I love you," he said. "More than you know."

"Aa," she replied. It was enough to let Sasuke know she felt the same way. He wrapped his arms tighter around her fragile body and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Go to sleep, baby," he whispered. He, too, closed his own eyes, and allowed himself to pretend once more. He was Sasuke, she was Sakura—the Sakura he had known and loved so well.

They were at their wedding.

They had just had their daughter.

Then she had her own lovable children, which Sakura doted on a little too much for Sasuke's liking.

"Kami," Sasuke cursed, feeling tears sting his cheeks. "More time, please, please…"

Sasuke's ears perked when the machine's hopeful hum stopped. He choked, tightening his grip around Sakura's waist even more firmly, although it was no use.

"Sakura," he sobbed. "Where did the time go?"

* * *

**What even is tragedy and angst and how do I do it**


	22. Exposed

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o22: Sakura finds Sasuke sharing the same shower stall as her. The fact that she's half-naked doesn't help her at all.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o22.  
**_Exposed_

_This is so fucking embarrassing I think I might just shoot myself_.

I had no idea what I was doing here. Actually, I did know, but if I told you, you would most likely laugh at me and tell me it was my fault.

Which, in all honesty, it kind of was. That doesn't mean that anyone has the right to give me crap, because if he or she were in my situation, that person would feel just as miserable and confused and frightened as I was as well.

I was in the male locker room showers with only a flimsy towel around my body and a lousy hair cap that barely wrapped around my thick skull. I didn't even get to finish washing myself when I heard men come in, laughing and dicking around—no pun intended—and just being men.

So here I am, hidden behind a shower curtain, hoping nobody's going to use this stall, because if they do I have no idea what I'll do with myself. I might shriek, but I don't know what my plan will be after that. Maybe I'll just drop everything and run.

I went into the bathroom thinking that it was empty for a Thursday morning. Usually, the girls were always in there, taking up all the hot water and playing with the shampoo bubbles and arguing over who gets to use how much conditioner (ah, the benefits of having short hair!).

But today, I was wondering why it seemed so empty. It was as if I was the first person to actually use it today, and it made me happy that I had all the space to myself. No more would I have to listen to a girl brag about her large, soapy boobs or other girls laugh at the fact that I hadn't shaven my legs in two days—it's two days, seriously, girls!—and fight over the last hair dryer. I had the whole place to myself, and I would cherish it like no other.

Cherish it for about eight and a half minutes, that is.

"So, teme—" Naruto yelled. I winced; of course _Naruto _would be here. If he found out where I was right now, he'd never let me hear the end of it. I slunk back against the wall, feeling the cold tiles against my back. Trying not to whimper like a little bitch, I bit my tongue and hoped I wouldn't make any sound to let anybody know I was in here.

"You finally gonna ask her out?" Naruto continued. I had no idea what he was talking about. Then I heard the rest of the guys slapping towels on the walls and probably on Sasuke, urging him to "yeah, ask her out!" or "if you're not going to do it, someone else will—that someone being _me_," or just "grow some, will you?"

Which was really funny, considering I had no idea Sasuke even liked anybody here. The fact that all his teammates seemed to know was a whole different story as well.

"Shut up," Sasuke replied back. I heard laughing and more teasing, but Sasuke cursed them all off (causing them all to laugh even harder). I allowed myself one tiny peek out of the curtain before I heard footsteps against the floor. Immediately, I ducked my head back inside the curtain.

_Someone was coming_.

I pressed myself even firmer against the back wall, feeling gross and disgusting. But there were at least five or six more empty stalls around me. Surely the person wouldn't come here in my stall. After all, it was a one in seven chance, and the percentage of him actually—

"Sakura?"

That was it. I allowed myself a scream and clutched the towel tighter around me before Sasuke put his hand over my mouth and shut me up. He glared at me with harsh eyes and made sure the shower curtain was closed before gripping my bare shoulders and shaking me.

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing here?" he snarled wildly under his breath.

"I thought—" I began, trying to catch my breath. "Fuck, Sasuke, you gave me a heart attack!"

"You thought what?"

"I thought it was the women's bathroom! I don't know. It was early and I was tired and it was empty and I really don't know. Don't give me crap, alright?"

"Is someone in there?" one of the guys called. Sasuke put his hand over my mouth again and turned on the water, letting people know that our stall was occupied. I wanted to cry out when I felt the cold water hit my back, but instead of screaming, I bit down on his hand. He growled.

"_What _the hell?'

"I'm sorry!" I whispered back. "It's cold!"

I looked down to see that Sasuke's towel was about to fall off his waist, revealing something I've wanted to know about for a long time and yet was too embarrassed to actually look now that it was here in front of me.

"I can't let you go out," he said. "Not while they're here."

"Well, what do I do, then? Do I just turn the other way and let you finish showering? Do I wait here and hope I don't die of hypothermia until all of you guys leave? Or do I just try to make myself a liquid so that I can go down the drain and into the sewer and never have to talk about this situation again?"

"Is there a girl in here? I hear someone's voice!" Naruto yelled. The rest of the guys murmured in agreement, and I bit my lip, forcing myself to shut up.

"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke called out. "Some of us are actually trying to get some peace and quiet here!"

"Just…turn around," Sasuke told me. "I'm going to shower now."

I nodded, my lips still sealed tightly. I turned around and faced the wall, clutching my own towel around me. I heard Sasuke's towel drop to the floor, and he swung it over the shower curtain. Water poured and dripped down his body, and I know he was washing his hair, running his long fingers through that dark mess.

I was getting so turned on right now and I hated myself for it.

"You're still not looking, right?" he said.

"Mm," I said, allowing a small sound to come out. I wanted to turn around so badly and look—!

I heard the pitter-patter of more shower water hitting the floor and knew that the rest of the stalls were occupied as well. What I didn't hear was Naruto coming in, running on the wet floor and slipping, and tugging on Sasuke's shower stall.

"Teme, I have to pee! Let me in!"

I turned around and saw Sasuke's face turn into an expression of irritation. While he was looking outside, I allowed myself a quick glance at his nether regions, then looked back up before he could see.

_Damn_.

"Use the bathroom like every other normal person, weirdo," Sasuke growled.

"But _teme_!" Naruto began to shake the curtain, and I knew he was going to barge in.

Sasuke swooped me into his naked, wet chest and wrapped an arm around me. I almost stumbled on the slippery floor, and put my hand over his pec to steady myself. My towel began to slip off, but in the position we were in, I couldn't reach it to cover myself.

"Shh," he said.

"Naruto, leave me alone," Sasuke yelled. "Go bother Sai. He's in the next stall over."

"Fine!" Naruto scurried off, and I heard him asking Sai the same question. I breathed a sigh of relief and realized that I was still against Sasuke's body.

He was naked and I was…half-naked.

Kami.

My breast was exposed.

I quickly wrapped the towel back around my body when I saw Sasuke's eyes give me such a harsh, penetrating glare that I didn't know what to think or do. I opened my mouth to tell him thanks, but before I could, his lips were on mine and my back was once again against the cold wall.

_Lust_. His dark eyes glittered with such intense emotion and the need for passion that I found myself succumbing to those wanting eyes. He held me close, running his hand up and down my bare thigh and kissing my jawline. I finally got a chance to run my own fingers through his sopping hair and tugged, feeling his lips suck hard at my neck.

I knew that would leave a bruise.

"Beautiful," he murmured, trailing his hand from my collarbone down to the valley of my chest. His finger rested there for a second, watching my eyes for any sort of hesitation, before he rested his palm over my breast.

He didn't do anything else. He simply laid his hand over my tit and had the other on my waist. He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, and I felt his angular chin settle on my crown.

"Sasuke," Sai called from the other stall. I assumed that Naruto had finally gone to the bathroom where he was supposed to go.

"Yeah?" Sasuke called back. I saw an eyebrow twitch in frustration; obviously, he didn't want to be interrupted. I didn't either, considering _Sasuke was touching me in such erotic places, oh my goodness_…

"Are you going to ask Sakura out after this?"

Sasuke tensed. I did, too. He looked at me and removed his hand from my breast before stroking my cheek with the back of his skin.

"I'd love to," I breathed.

"Well," he said. "It makes my job a lot easier."

I wound my arms around his neck securely, looping my hands together. I tried to ignore the fact that he was literally butt-naked in front of me in a shower, which made me super hot and horny beyond belief, and just went with the flow. He smirked, prying my arms off, and forced me to look at the wall.

"No peeking," he said. "I have to finish washing myself."

"Sasuke? Are you talking to somebody in there?" Sai asked.

"Nope," Sasuke replied, reaching for the soap. He then began to scrub the exposed part of my back, to which I nearly yelped out of shock.

"What was that for?" I growled, making sure to keep my voice down as much as possible.

"You're a very dirty girl, coming into the men's locker rooms like this…" he smirked. "We've got to get you cleaned up."

* * *

**idek**


	23. A Hot Cup of Tea

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o23: Sakura believes that the best remedy for anything is hot tea. As her doting boyfriend, Sasuke begs to differ.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o23.  
**_A Hot Cup of Tea_

It was so cold that Sakura could see her breath forming small billows of steam, even inside the house. She walked slowly, afraid that she would drop the platter of china teacups all over the wooden floor.

"Do you need any help?" Sai asked. His hand gently touched her waist while the other reached for the platter to take from her hands.

"I can do it," she said. She jerked slightly to retrieve herself from his grasp and saw the tea sloshing violently. She was already so far from the coffee table where the rest of Team 7 was waiting.

"On a second thought," she said. "Help would be lovely."

Sai smiled, taking the platter from her and walking with ease towards the table. Sakura sighed, rubbing her forearms, and setting herself down on the couch right next to Sasuke.

She and Sasuke had been dating for a while now; many outsiders had suspected there was something going on between the Uchiha boy and Sakura, but only Team 7 really knew the full extent of their relationship. Even then, Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi knew very little about their activities and _activities_, if at all.

Sasuke brought Sakura close to him, wrapping his arms around her and reaching for Naruto's blanket to clothe her in. Naruto argued in response, but once he saw the tenderness and care that Sasuke was giving Sakura, he immediately shut his loud mouth and shivered silently.

"My mom always used to say that a hot cup of tea was the best remedy for everything. Cold weather, the flu, down days…basically everything." Sakura handed a cup of tea to all of her teammates before taking the last one to herself. She held it in her hands for a few moments, allowing the tea to warm up her body.

Not that Sasuke wasn't already.

Naruto tilted his head back and drained the tea in one gulp. His eyes were closed in a state of peace, but once the liquid entered his mouth, his blue eyes were yanked open and he immediately began to choke, spitting some and swallowing some.

"That's fucking hot!" he growled, pounding his chest with his fist. "It hurts! I think I burned myself!"

"You're an idiot," Sasuke muttered, eyeing the puddle of saliva and regurgitated tea. He groaned in disgust.

Kakashi held up his Icha Icha Paradise, his eyes eagerly scanning the pornographic magazine. With ninja reflexes, he undid his mask under the book and finished his cup of tea, quickly remasking himself in speedy time. His students had to admire his agility.

"Good tea, Sakura," Sai said. "Black?" He held the cup gingerly in one hand with his pinky sticking out—it was habit, he would say—and sipped quietly. Sakura admired that Sai had such an appreciation for tea, and smiled, her eyes never leaving his face.

"It is."

Sasuke was just a tiny bit jealous at the exchange. He wrapped his arm even tighter around Sakura and drank his own tea, except without any of the pizzazz Sai used. He was an Uchiha; he didn't need some sissy tea to prove his manhood.

"Sakura-chan, you're not drinking yours?" Naruto asked, wiping up his previous mess with his leg. Sasuke twisted his face in disgust.

"Not yet," Sakura replied. "Maybe later, when it's cooled down."

"Sakura, tea is best when it's drunk hot," Sai butted in.

"That may be," she said. "But it's a little too hot for me."

_Yeah, Sai,_ Sasuke thought. _Guess who else is too hot for her, asshole_?

.

.

.

Sakura didn't expect to see three of the four men passed out. Sai snored quietly in an armchair, sitting upright and proper, his chin barely touching his chest. She noticed the glossy sheen of his hair and wanted to ruffle it and see if it actually felt as soft as it looked.

Kakashi rested his head on the carpet, one hand over his chest. Icha Icha laid over his eyes like a sleeping mask, and Sakura noticed that there was a bottle of lotion conveniently placed an arm's length away from him. She was thankful that he didn't get a chance to use it.

Meanwhile, Naruto—he was a different story. Sprawled out in various different directions on the floor, he drooled , saliva still fresh and running down his chin. His blonde hair was tussled and Sakura noticed that his clothes had the familiar smell of sweat and ramen that she knew so well. Typical Naruto.

She went into her closet and pulled out three blankets, wrapping each of them around her teammates.

"They're all worn out, aren't they?" Sasuke asked, his arms snaking around Sakura's waist.

"Tell me about it. I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?" she asked.

"No."

Sakura shrugged, prying herself out of Sasuke's grip. She walked quietly towards the kitchen and began to boil some water, Sasuke following suit. He watched as his girlfriend reached for a cup that was too high for her own good, and for teabags too far for her short arms to reach.

"Let me get those for you," he said. He pushed her out of the way and handed the items to her, to which she smiled.

"You're a gent, you know that?"

"I know," he smirked.

Sakura rolled her eyes and placed the teabag into her cup. Once the water finished boiling, she reached for the hot kettle and put in her water, bouncing the teabag up and down until she saw that the water had turned a murky brown.

"Disgusting," Sasuke joked.

"Mm." She began to sip, her eyes closed in pleasure, when she opened them and shrieked. She nearly dropped the cup, but Sasuke quickly took it from her before anything could happen.

"What's wrong?" he asked, watching Sakura jump wildly in front of him. "What happened?"

"I burned myself! Shit, my tongue!" She stuck it out, trying to observe her wound cross-eyed. Sasuke had to admit that he had not seen something so amusing in such a long time.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked.

"Everywhere! Oh, damnit, now it's going to hurt to eat, and…"

"If I kiss it, will it make you feel better?"

"I don't know how that would help—"

"Well, it'll make _me _feel better, especially seeing Sai look you over like a piece of meat." He took Sakura into his arms and pressed his lips over hers, melding their mouths together. Eagerly, he used his own tongue to gain entrance into Sakura's mouth. His tongue found hers, and when he felt her wince, he did his best to kiss the pain away.

"Wrap your legs around my waist," he ordered, settling her comfortably on her countertop. Sakura agreed, and he felt her strong thighs squeeze his hips a little tighter than was comfortable. She knew how to make him hot and horny.

"You're going to wake them up," she joked. Her speech was slightly mumbled; after all, her tongue was burned.

"Fine, I don't care," he said, pressing his nose against hers. "Let them see us."

"You may not have shame, but I still have to keep up appearances."

She did her best to hold in her moan when he pressed up against her crotch. She felt heat pool in her belly, and she hated how Sasuke could make her feel all the things she didn't want to feel. Especially _him_, in this situation.

"Aa," she squeaked. "I hate you."

"I 'hayeu' too," he smirked, mimicking her new form of speech. "You said that hot tea is the best remedy. I beg to differ." He pressed his forehead against hers and leaned in, closing the distance between them. "This may be presumptuous of me—"

"When is it not?" she joked.

He smirked. "But I'd say that I'm _your _best remedy. After all," he continued, pulling out her tongue between his fingers and inspecting it thoroughly. She slapped his hand away, wondering what the hell he was doing.

"After all, what?" she asked.

His fingers began to unzip the zipper hiding her body from him. "I'd never cause you pain."

She wanted to laugh and tell him how cheesy he was, and how much Itachi and Mikoto would laugh at him if she told them, but when she felt his mouth over her chest and his fingers tugging at the clothing sealing her breasts together, she couldn't find the words.

Not that it mattered, anyway.

* * *

**Happy birthday Sasuke-kun :)**

**That cowboy picture though NNGH**


	24. Glory

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o24: Sasuke thought killing Itachi would bring glory to the Uchiha name. Looking down into his son's eyes, he knew that was a lie.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o24.  
**_Glory_

When I realized that the man in front of me was finally dead, I thought that I could live happily. I had avenged my goal.

Itachi was dead.

But instead of joy and relief, guilt and self-loathing washed over me. I had killed the one person that meant most to me—my very own _brother_. Itachi raised me from a little kid, played with me, taught me everything I needed to know, and I repaid him like _this_.

I looked down at my hands stained with his blood and watched it turn into pink water as the rain poured furiously down into my palm, crying the tears I couldn't force myself to cry.

His eyes were still open, but they were glassy and lifeless, just like he was. I knelt down above his head and looked over him, our faces only inches away. I didn't see my brother; I only saw the dead body of someone I loved and knew so well.

I thought I could bring glory to the Uchiha family by killing Itachi. I was wrong.

I only furthered the path of hatred.

.

.

.

I woke up in a cold sweat, my hands gripping the sheets around me. I sat upright, trying to catch my breath. I scanned the room to make sure nothing was wrong, and that it was just another dream of me and Itachi, before lying back down on the mattress.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked me, rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Shit," I muttered. I took a quick look at the clock and noticed that it was two in the morning. "Go back to sleep, Sakura," I told her.

She placed a hand on my chest and moved closer to me. "Was it the same dream?"

I knew that I couldn't hide anything from her. At least, not anymore. She always saw me past my lies.

"Yeah," I said. "Same one."

She pressed a tender kiss to my forehead and cupped my cheeks. "Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice deep. I knew she was serious. "I know it's hard, and I know you loved him. He knows that, too, alright? Itachi wouldn't want to see the baby brother he's cherished for so long hate himself. There were reasons in your family that only you know about, and you're the only one who can fix them. Move on from the past, Sasuke. Enjoy the future and what we have now."

I growled, pushing her back down onto the mattress and lacing my fingers through hers. Her chest heaved wildly up and down, and I saw that one strap of her nightgown had fallen off her delicate shoulder.

"How?" I growled. "How did I ever find someone like you?"

Sakura's eyes softened, and she gave me one of those small smiles that I cherished so dearly. She reached for my head and brought me down to give me a kiss, but the sound of crying interrupted us.

"Oh no," she breathed, pushing me off and wrapping a bathrobe around her. She tied it haphazardly around her waist. I jumped out of bed and followed her, not bothering to put on a T-shirt or sweatpants.

Sakura gently opened the door to Itachi's room. The little bugger was crying, and he kicked his little legs around, begging for his mother.

"Hi, sweetheart," Sakura said, picking up our child. She gave him a sweet kiss on his nose, and Itachi immediately stopped crying to stare up at his mother. "What bad dream did _you_ have?"

The baby began to coo, and Sakura laughed. She then handed him to me, and I grasped his tiny body with a firm grip.

"Hey, bud," I murmured. "You've been very naughty, haven't you?"

"Sasuke!"

I smirked, pressing my lips against my son's black hair. "You just want to cause trouble for the establishment, don't you? Isn't that what you are, you little rebel?"

Itachi began to clap his hands. All signs of sadness had left his face, and he looked at me with such happy eyes that I felt joy and pride swell up inside my chest.

"I realize now," I began, my eyes never leaving baby Itachi's. He had Sakura's eyes, my brother's name, and the glory of the Uchiha surname. It was as if everything I loved and cared about was all in this little child, resting securely in my arms.

"What?" Sakura asked. "What are you talking about?"

I patted Itachi's back rhythmically, averting my gaze towards Sakura. "I brought glory to the Uchiha clan by repopulating the clan. Now, I know what you're thinking: yes, we did repopulate the Uchiha line, but it was with somebody who loved me." Carefully, I set Itachi down back into his crib. As I tucked a blanket up against his chin, I patted his soft mat of hair and watched his eyes close.

"And it was with somebody I never knew I loved, too," I said. I held Sakura close to me and embraced her, my fingers pressing into the soft cotton of her bathrobe. "I know I don't say this enough, but I love you, you know."

"I know," she murmured. I could feel her fingertips pressing into my back, as if she were trying to hug me even tighter. "Sasuke, I don't care about all the bad things that have happened in the past. As I said before, the future is now. The future is our baby," she said, watching her son sleep peacefully in his little blue pajamas. "The future is us."

I managed to force my hands away from her waist so that I could stroke her delicate, pink cheeks. I gave her my best smile.

"Please keep loving me," I said, my voice in a delicate whisper.

She held my hand against her face and smiled back. "I never stopped."

* * *

**Thanks for all your kind comments. I will actually be out of town this week and won't be back until August. However the rest of IWAY is already finished and on my Tumblr the posts are scheduled so that they release midnight EST. Even though it's not on Fanfiction, you can still continue it on Tumblr!**

**Thanks for understanding :)**


	25. The Other Side of the Wall

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o25: Sakura finally wants to meet the person on the other side of the wall who's been listening to all her secrets.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o25.  
**_The Other Side of the Wall_

"Hey," Sakura whispered, pressing her ear up against the thin cracks of the plaster wall, threatening to fall apart. "Are you there?"

"Yeah," the stranger replied. His voice was deep and soothing, and Sakura loved how sturdy it was. She felt like she could trust this guy, whichever student he was, and being with him just made her feel secure.

Sakura let out a deep breath. "Today was a mess. This idiot in my class—you know, the guy I've been telling you about for a while—he thinks he's the shit. I mean, he doesn't really brag, but he's just got this arrogant, asshole attitude and I want to punch him right in his pretty face. He always looks at me like I'm inferior to him or whatever, and it pisses me off."

The man chuckled. "Just let it all out," he said. Then, in a quieter voice, he whispered, "I'm here for you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks."

She had come to this area by accident: one time, after that stupid Uchiha Sasuke had publicly humiliated her during a lecture and proved her wrong with all these funky mathematical formulas that she hadn't even known _existed_, she ran out of the building in anger and made her way here.

She didn't know how her other half had found this place, thought it didn't really matter. It was just nice to have someone to talk to about her problems and remain confidential.

"So how was your day?" she asked.

"More or less the same."

"Any girls you're interested in? Or guys, if that's—"

"One girl," he interrupted. "But I don't think she feels the same."

"How do you know?" Sakura asked.

"I just know."

Sakura squinted, trying to see if she could make out the person on the other side of the wall past the cracks. When she realized that she was still surrounded by a thick mold of plaster, she sighed and leaned her back against the surface.

"Life's so confusing sometimes," Sakura sighed. "I'm just glad I have you."

Silence.

"I'm glad I have you, too," he responded.

.

.

Sakura didn't want to hear the stupid name Sasuke ever again for as long as she lived. It was hard enough hearing all the teachers rave about him in and out of the classroom, and all the girls squealing about him like he was the _shit_. But the worst was when he gave her that smug little smirk, as if to tell her, _I'm better than you'll ever be_.

"I'm feeling brave," Sakura said, throwing her backpack down on the ground. She sat next to the wall and waited for a response back.

"How so?" he answered.

"Wanna meet up? I mean, we've been talking like this for a while, and it would be nice to know who you are."

"…I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? I promise I won't laugh if you're ugly!"

He chuckled. "That's not it. It just wouldn't be the same afterwards. I mean, isn't there some pleasure in our secrecy?"

"But I need to know!" Sakura whined.

"Will it make you happy or will it just satisfy your itch?"

"I'll be happy to finally get to put a face to your voice. If you're as charming as your voice is, I think I'll be fine."

He chuckled again. "You have high expectations. Then why don't we meet now? You leave your side of the wall and I'll leave mine. We'll meet up by the tree in the courtyard."

"Deal. You leave first, so that way I know you're not tricking me."

"You don't trust me?" he teased.

Sakura felt a smile creep onto her face. "You better earn it, bastard."

.

.

.

Sakura saw nobody by the tree, and for a second she thought that she had been duped. Rage boiled in her forehead and she wanted to go back and tear down the wall and tell the stranger that he was a piece of shit for lying to her, and that he could just go to hell, and—

"Hey," Sasuke said.

Sakura turned around. She didn't know what made her angrier; the fact that her _"friend" _never showed up, or the fact that Sasuke was just going to give her shit again.

"What do you want?" Sakura snarled.

"So now you see me. Are you happy?"

"No! I don't want to see you. I was waiting for somebody else, and until he comes, I'll have to be stuck here with you…" Sakura's voice trailed off as she replayed Sasuke's voice back in her mind.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "It's you."

Sasuke wasn't smiling. His arms were crossed, and he looked at her with such a lack of emotion that she felt as if she had insulted him thoroughly. _Uchiha Sasuke _stood in front of her; the person she had poured all her emotions out to and complained about was _right in front of her._

And he knew all the dirty little secrets she had to offer.

"Well," Sasuke frowned. "That's that, I guess."

Sakura was still too shocked to speak. She felt tears at her eyes, and Sasuke immediately softened.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked. "Why are you crying?"

"I can't believe it's you," she whimpered. "You of all people."

"You wanted to meet me," Sasuke said. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her with ire in his eyes. "It's your problem, not mine."

"I trusted you with everything!"

"You couldn't have known it was me!"

Sakura began to reach for her things. She slung her bag over her shoulder and pushed Sasuke aside, refusing to let her tears fall.

"I'm leaving now," she said. "Don't bother coming back to the wall, because I won't be there. Not now, not ever."

Sasuke pulled her wrist and brought her to him. Her bag slipped off her shoulder in surprise, and her eyes widened. She allowed a single tear to fall, but quickly wiped it away with her arm before Sasuke could comment on how _pitiful _she looked.

"I've never told anyone anything that you told me," he growled. "I told you that you could trust me, and now you think that just because I'm Sasuke, I've revealed all your secrets, on how 'that idiot' hates you and wants to see you fail, or how you enjoy eating strawberry shaved ice, or the fact that you almost kissed Kiba in a game of—"

"Okay, okay!" Sakura said, pressing her hands over her ears. "Fine!"

"No," Sasuke said. "We're not done yet. I'm not letting you go until you say you trust me."

"I trust you!"

"I want you to mean it," he said. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her forearm, and Sakura refused to cry out in pain. She wouldn't give in.

"I—" she began. She looked up into Sasuke's eyes, filled with fear and passion and everything in between, and she realized that the _one girl _he so often talked about was someone she knew so well. The fact that he had entrusted his own secrets to her was another story, and she couldn't feel angry at him.

"I trust you," she whispered. She felt Sasuke's hands soften, and then drop to his sides.

"It wasn't my intention to ever hurt you," Sasuke said.

"I realize that now," she replied. She bit her lip. There was no wall between them now, and she felt truly free, without any barrier to stop her. Sakura allowed herself to smile a real smile. All the hatred she felt for Sasuke suddenly disappeared, now that she knew what kind of person he really was.

"Thank you," she finally said, allowing herself a few moments to find the proper words. "For letting me confide in you."

Sasuke smiled. "I'm just glad I could be there for you."

* * *

**I actually kind of felt iffy about this D:**


	26. Staying Warm

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o26: Sasuke regrets being a gentleman and giving his coat to Sakura in the middle of winter.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o26.  
**_Staying Warm_

The only thing more annoying than the cold temperature was the sound of Sakura shivering madly. Sasuke almost wanted to laugh under his winter coat at Sakura, who had only worn a thin T-shirt and jeans. It was her own fault that she hadn't packed warmly enough, and now she was paying for it.

"You cold?" he teased, just to rub more salt in the wound. Sasuke did his best to stifle his grin when Sakura glared at him, her eyes raging with frustration and fury. He tried to take her seriously, he really did, but when he saw the little pink hairs on her arm stand up under her goosebumps, he couldn't handle it.

He chuckled.

"You find my pain amusing?" she asked. He noticed the shiver in her words as she tried hard to form a coherent sentence, but they both knew that it was no use. Sakura was already surrendering herself to the cold while Sasuke just watched under his down jacket.

"I find _you _amusing. Come on, now. If you keep lagging behind we're not going to get to Naruto's on time." He watched her with dark eyes, observing how she found the strength to put one foot in front of the other, the snow sinking into her thin shoes and right into her bare feet. Yet another reason, Sasuke mused, to laugh at her.

Sakura growled, eyeing his clothing enviously. "I hate you."

"Hn." He pulled Sakura's forearm and put a hand behind her back. "Let me help you so that you don't drag me down with you into the cold. Can you walk alright?"

She pried herself away. Her eyes narrowed, and she wanted to spit at him.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"No, you're not," Sasuke said. He sighed, realizing that the fun and games were over now, and that he was truly an asshole if he could keep finding humor in Sakura's misfortune.

"What are you—hey, Sasuke, what—!"

Sasuke unzipped his coat, biting his lip to prevent the curse from leaking out. He hadn't realized how chilly it was now that his coat was off his body, and he had a slight admiration for Sakura being able to withstand such temperatures for a long time.

"Spread your arms," Sasuke ordered. Sakura did so weakly, and Sasuke draped the coat over her body, zipping it up until it was at her chin.

"Feel better?" he asked, crossing his arms. He refused to show weakness and that he couldn't withstand the ice, but the familiar goosebumps that he mocked on Sakura were now forming on _his _skin.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah." Then, as she stuck her dry hands into the soft pockets, she murmured, "Thank you."

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Sakura trailed slowly behind Sasuke. He bit his lip, chewing on the tender flesh, and forcing himself not to show weakness as the cold wind became daggers on his skin. He could barely see past the falling snow, and he hated himself for playing the gentleman card and giving away his _soul._

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out. She struggled to catch up to him and nearly tripped in the process. Sasuke noticed that her flats were completely soaked, and didn't even want to imagine who cold her feet must have been.

"What?" he asked.

He had no idea why Sakura was hugging him. He could feel her thin arms around his waist and wanted to ask why she was touching him and what gave her the right to do so, but he felt the familiar warmth drape back over his shoulders once more.

They were both under his coat, and Sakura still kept her arms around him.

"There," she said. "Now we can both stay warm."

"How are we going to walk, then, smartass?" he teased. But that didn't really matter. And he didn't mind Sakura resting her thick skull onto his chest. In fact, it only made him feel warmer.

"I'll dictate. Right foot, left foot, right foot, left—"

He smirked. "Enough of that. Let's keep walking."

They stumbled awkwardly over the snow, trying not to trip. Sakura kept a grip around Sasuke's chest, which meant she had the extra weight on, but he didn't mind too much.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, moving her leg according to his movements. "You make my heart feel fuzzy."

"You should get that checked."

She slapped his arm playfully. "Hey! I'm being serious!"

Sasuke looked down to see the stupid idiot in only a T-shirt looking up at him with a bright, red nose and eyelashes laced with frost. He forced himself to look up and saw Naruto's house not too far off in the distance, ignoring the blush heating up on his cheeks and protecting him from the cold.

"Don't let go," he ordered, pressing his body closer against hers. "I'm freezing, and if we're going to survive this, we're going to have to conserve body heat."

"Whatever you say, Sasuke-kun," Sakura grinned, her stupid red nose tempting him in ways he never knew she could.

* * *

**kawaii desu ne**


	27. Misguided

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o27: Sasuke and Sakura fight over driving in the car.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o27.  
**_Misguided_

"No, you idiot, turn left! Put your signal on! _Turn left_!" Sakura shrieked, pointing to the left while struggling to reach over and take the wheel.

"Sakura, sit back down," Sasuke snarled. "I told you, I know where we're going."

"No you don't! Turn left now—fuck, you just missed it. Now we're going to have to make a U-turn, and in this traffic nobody's going to let you in. We're practically stuck." Sakura sighed, slunking back down into her seat. She blew a raspberry, which elevated the small trickle of hair in front of her face until it fell uselessly back down. "You'll regret not listening to me when we can't make it to Naruto's party in time."

"I regret bringing you," Sasuke muttered, his hands gripped tightly on the wheel. Sakura had always been feisty, even before they started dating—Sasuke had the notion that he could _tame _her, but as Itachi would say, he was definitely proved wrong—and as much as he loved her, it sometimes pissed him the fuck off.

"Don't be mean," Sakura growled. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't say anything for a while, and when Sasuke peeked over he saw that the seatbelt nearly tucked itself right between her breasts, separating them nicely. When he saw Sakura turn, he averted his gaze back towards the road, strumming his fingers on the leather wheel as they drove down the street.

"Can't you get directions on your phone?" Sasuke asked. "They have a GPS, right?"

"I tried that. There's no signal. So we can't even let Hinata know that we won't make it to their housewarming party. And I was _so _excited. We were going to paint each other's nails and read Cosmo. Hey—" Sakura began, sitting up. She looked out the window to see that they had gone off the main street and were now heading down a dirt road neither of them were familiar with.

"Great," she muttered. "Lost and without signal. Good job, smartass."

"Can you _not _criticize me for once? I swear, you're going to be the death of me—"

Sakura yanked the wheel in her direction, causing the car to swerve off the empty road.

"What the hell?" he shouted, unbuckling his seatbelt. "I know you're mad, but are you trying to get us all killed? What is your _problem_?"

"If you'd just turned left—"

Sasuke wasn't listening. He could feel the fury rise up from his neck into his head, and he refused to let himself lose his cool and blow up in Sakura's face. He knew that if he did, he would regret it; she would be hurt and shut him out, and he'd feel like shit. However, there was no acceptable reason for Sakura to act the way she was.

Sakura still had her seatbelt on over her tank top, nestled snugly. Sasuke could tell by the pink flush over her breasts—she wasn't wearing a bra, Kami—that she was angry, too. Sakura only ever got that color after sex or while angry.

It turned him on.

"Sasuke, are you listening? _Sasuke_!"

He reached out and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. He fumbled with the seatbelt, trying to find the lock, and when he did he placed Sakura over his lap and massaged one of her breasts with his free hand, enjoying how nicely it fit into his hardened palm.

"Hey, what are you—" she asked, pulling apart. A pink blush adorned her face, and Sasuke wanted to make all of her pink. Her _whole _body.

Especially that fine ass.

"Backseat," Sasuke breathed. He parted their lips for a second and opened the driver's side of the door and the backseat's, placing her on the cramped leather covering.

"This is so uncomfortable," Sakura muttered, trying to stretch her limbs as best as she could with Sasuke on top of her.

"You could stick your head out the window while I fuck you from behind, and I'd stick mine through the sunroof. Then we'd both have room."

Sakura slapped his cheek playfully. "Don't be crass."

"It's an option. After all, we're not getting to Naruto's party in time. If we're already late, why not be even later?" His hand trailed up and down her rib cage, and he waited for approval. Her breasts heaved wildly up and down, and his back was starting to hurt from the lack of space. Perhaps the sunroof idea wasn't so bad.

Sakura brought his head down to hers. He expected a kiss, but when it didn't come, he frowned.

"You promise you'll listen to me next time, you stupid bastard?" she breathed, stroking his cheek. "And turn left when I tell you to?"

"Yes," he sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but he was wrong. He knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it for a while. It didn't matter for the time being, though. Sakura was under him and _horny_. He could worry about the consequences later.

"Good. Now," she said, taking off her top to reveal those luscious breasts he craved with the perky pink nipples. "Show me how sorry you are."


	28. When the Power Fails

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o28: Sakura decides to get a little frisky with Sasuke while the power's out.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o28.  
**_When the Power Fails_

I flicked the lighter continuously, cursing to myself. With each push I hoped it would finally work, but the fire gods seemed to laugh at me from above, because the damn thing still wasn't working.

"It's fine, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said. She placed a hand on my shoulder and I jumped in response. The room was pitch black, and the only source of light was from the stupid _lighter that refused to work_. "I think we'll live."

"Fuck that," I said. "I want to actually see things, not be blind for a day."

"Why don't we all just go to bed?" Naruto asked, fumbling towards the sofa. I knew that by the sound, Naruto was currently crawling around on his floor, looking for somewhere to rest his weary head.

I kept pressing on the lighter, and when I realized that it wouldn't work, I threw it at the wall. I wasn't sure where it landed up or what it broke—I swore I could hear glass shatter—but I didn't bother to care. Sakura reached for my hand and began to fumble her way towards my other sofa, screaming when she caught her foot on something and tumbled onto the ground.

"You okay?" I asked, doing my best to reach for her, although I had no idea where she had landed.

"Naruto!" Sakura growled. "Get off the floor! You almost killed me, you bastard!"

I took small baby steps to avoid the same route Sakura took, noting that Naruto was half an inch away from me. On "accident," I kicked him in the side; when he groaned, I smirked to myself.

"Sorry," I teased. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

I stepped over him and Sakura took my hand, positioning me on the sofa. Although it was my house, I barely knew where I was. I had no sense of direction in this darkness, and the only thing that would possibly give me any feeling had been thrown across the room. I knew that there was absolutely no way I was going to travel just to get something that didn't even work.

"Hey, teme, pull me up," Naruto said. "At least, like, put me on a chair or something. Your floor is nasty. There are all these breadcrumbs and gross stuff."

"Forget about him," Sakura murmured. Her hand reached for the top button on my shirt, and slowly she began to undo each one of them, resting her palms over my chest. Her fingers circled around my nipple, leaving burning trails on my flesh, and I felt desire and need pool in my stomach. I gritted my teeth and kept my hands at my sides, waiting to see what exactly she would do next. Even though I couldn't see her face, I knew that she had on some smug little smirk, and was taking in the satisfaction that we were about to do it, even with Naruto not far away from us.

I heard the couch creak and realized that Sakura was moving. I felt her thighs press against my leg, and I realized that her chest was in front of my face and ready to burst.

I placed my hands over her breasts and felt her nipples pucker up. I decided to taunt her a little bit and see how well she could hold back her moans with Naruto right beside us.

Carefully, I thumbed the perky buds, waiting for her to say or do something. I heard a small gasp before she stifled it, but by the way her thighs were shaking, I knew that she was having a hard time doing so.

I undid the clasp in front of her bra and filled my hands with the soft flesh. I gave them a firm squeeze before allowing my fingers to sink into her creamy mounds. Sakura let out another small sound, clutching my shoulders for support. I could feel heat seep through her shorts and knew exactly how wet I made her. This realization only made me strive harder to hear her pleasure.

"Hey," Naruto asked. "What are you guys doing?"

Sakura froze, but my hands kept moving. I even thrust my hips up, positioning my erection _right there_, but she was a trooper. She emitted no sound.

"Nothing," I said. My hands moved away from her breasts and onto her hip bones, which jutted out just nicely for me to grip. I took a firm grasp on her and began to take one of her hardened nipples into my mouth.

Sakura ran her fingers through my hair and felt them fall through the cracks. Her breath quickened, and I knew that with the right flick of my tongue and a good, hard suck, she would come apart and I would be ready to make her _come _and _come _and _come again._

When I felt her legs quiver and her fingernails digging into my chest, I knew that she had fallen apart in my arms. I gave her a few seconds to catch her breath when she began to fumble at my belt buckle, trying to find the ins and outs of how the damn thing worked.

"You guys aren't doing anything weird, right?" Naruto asked. He decided to sprawl out on the carpet, having given up his search for a chair. "Like, you're not _doing it,_ are you?"

"Of course not," Sakura breathed. Her voice shook, and I knew she was still trying to recover from her orgasm.

"Good, because if I were to catch you guys in the middle, I don't know how—"

Sakura had already had my cock out and in her hand, pumping it the way I liked. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker, and after a few moments of emitting tiny bits of light, I prayed to myself.

_Kami, no, not right now—just hold off for a few more minutes…_

Unfortunately, the light gods seemed to spite me as well. Every light in the house had returned, and there Naruto was, watching Sakura straddle me with my dick out in the open and her breasts wet with my saliva. He gulped.

"I can explain," I began weakly.

Naruto held up a hand. "You know what?" he said.

"…What?" both of us asked.

Naruto finally made his way to the chair and settled peacefully on it. I figured that he would either leave or fall asleep, but instead, he crossed his legs and raised his eyebrows in that sheepish manner I hated so much.

"You could…I don't know, go on," he said. "That is, if you don't mind a viewer."

"No!"


	29. Tattoo

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o29: Sasuke proves to Sakura how much she means to him through a simple ink tattoo.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o29.  
**_Tattoo_

"You told me that you wouldn't ever let a man back into your heart again, not after _him_."

Sakura narrowed her eyes and took a cautious step back, wondering what exactly Sasuke was getting at. He had shown up at her door in the middle of the night storm, his black T-shirt and jeans soaked. Sakura stepped back even more to let him in, but he remained plastered on her patio.

"What are you saying?" she asked him. She still wasn't sure why he had come here, and after the previous times he had tried to court her, she had waved him away impatiently. But, she figured, coming here at this time of day meant that he had something important to say, so she would allow it.

"You didn't believe me when I said I loved you."

"Love isn't real," Sakura said. "I thought I was in love once. Turns out, I was just in love with a lie."

She saw the intensity and gravity in Sasuke's dark eyes. He did not smile nor frown, and his lips stayed pressed together firmly.

"You also said that the only way you would believe me was if—"

"If you got a tattoo of my name over your heart. Yeah, I know. Look, Sasuke, I appreciate you coming here, but I only said those things to get you off my back. I'm not looking for anything serious. Not now, not ever. So please, go home before you get sick."

She waited for him to leave and to tell her what a heartless bitch she was—which she was prepared for—but he didn't move. Instead, she noticed his arms reaching for the hem of his shirt, and he slowly began to pull it over his head. Sakura watched as the shirt clung to his wet skin, not wanting to move away from his body.

What Sakura saw next nearly knocked her off her feet. Sasuke was shirtless, yes, with a body she had no idea was hidden underneath his clothes. But her eyes trailed to his left breast, where the characters she knew so well were neatly printed on top of his skin.

"I knew you were kidding," he said. "But I wasn't." He reached for her hand and pressed it over his chest. She felt the small bumps of _Haruno Sakura _written and felt tears spring up at her eyes.

"You shouldn't have done that," she said. "I don't deserve someone like you."

"Everyone deserves a second chance at love," Sasuke said, refusing to release her hand from his grip. "Question is; will you let me help you?"

Sakura took a good look at the half-naked man in front of her who had come to her house in the middle of the night with her name imprinted forever on his skin.

"Come in," she said, opening the door wide for him. "You'll get cold."

She had accepted him into her home. The least she could do was try to accept him into her heart as well.


	30. It All Comes Back to This

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o30: There they were again, just the two of them, on that stone cold bench in the middle of the night.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

* * *

**.o30.  
**_It All Comes Back to This_

"So here we are again," Sakura said, sitting on the opposite side of the cold bench she knew so well. She peeked over at Sasuke, who stared at the stone ground, refusing to meet Sakura's gaze.

"Yup."

He sat as far away from her as possible. Sakura didn't mind. She figured that this place brought back memories just as unwanted as hers.

"You know," Sakura whispered, watching tree leaves fall casually over them. They fluttered with a wispy sigh onto their bodies and the bench, and Sakura picked one up, running over the soft texture with her fingers. "You broke my heart here."

Sasuke looked up, watching her. This time, however, her eyes were focused on the leaf in her hands.

"Are you really going to bring that up, Sakura?" he asked, his voice laced with a little more harshness than he would have liked.

She shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Silence flooded between the two as Sakura dropped the leaf onto the ground and brought her knees up against her chest. She laced her arms tightly around her legs and rested her head over her limbs.

"I never stopped loving you, you know," she said. "Despite everything that's happened."

"It all comes back to this, doesn't it?" Sasuke asked. "Your love for me." He allowed himself to scoot closer to Sakura, but he was still far enough that she wouldn't perceive his actions as too intimate or get the wrong idea.

Sakura freed her legs and likewise moved closer to him.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I guess it does. You know, Sasuke-kun, my feelings for you have not changed over these years. They most likely will never change, no matter what happens between us." She moved closer. "You matter to me."

They were an arm's length away. Sasuke placed his hand in the middle of the empty space separating them. He noticed Sakura's hand right next to his.

"Stay with me," she begged. "If not for me, stay with _us_." Feeling brave, she touched her pinky finger with his, enjoying the touch of his skin on hers.

Sasuke said nothing. Instead, he looped his pinky around hers and squeezed tight. It was a wordless promise, but a promise nonetheless.

He wouldn't dare to break it.


	31. Three Wishes

**title: **It Was Always You  
**prompt: **SASUSAKU MONTH 2014  
**rating: **T-M

**summary: **o31: Team 7 wants to help Sakura finally fulfill her three wishes.

**dedicated to: **my girls _reviee_, _DeepPoeticGirl, _and _SR :)_

**NOTE:** IN THIS NARUTOVERSE, SAKURA HAS NEVER REVEALED HER FEELINGS FOR SASUKE

* * *

**.o31.  
**_Three Wishes_

"So tell us, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. He eagerly sat cross-legged, waiting for her response. A wide grin stretched across his face, showing off his huge dimples, and she wanted to just take his little foxy face into her hands and squeeze him senseless. "What would you do if you had three wishes?"

"Anything you want," Sai said. "Remember, this is all hypothetical, so don't be afraid to say it."

Sakura laughed nervously. "You guys are kind of freaking me out a little bit. Anything I want? Oh, gosh."

"Come on, Sakura," Sasuke added. "We all went. Even me. Imagine you're going Christmas shopping or whatever and you're making your list."

Sakura tapped her finger against her chin. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling, and she puffed air into her cheeks. "Anything I want…well, to start out, I would want to travel."

Kakashi scoffed. "Really? Any wish in the world and you want to travel?"

"Don't judge me. For my second wish, I would like learn how to heal people to the best of my ability. At least get some practice in. After all, I'm not going to improve unless I can actually try out my skills."

"Fair enough," Naruto shrugged. "What about your last wish?"

Sasuke smirked. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. The rest of the men waited eagerly for Sakura's answer. She returned with a big smile and said quietly, "To find love."

"Love? Seriously? I wished for a _harem_ and a twelve-inch ding-dong that would never get tired, and you want _love_?" Naruto asked, his mouth gaping wide open. Sai knocked him in the back of the head to wipe that stupid expression off his face.

"Those wishes don't seem too ridiculous," he said. "They could definitely be fulfilled."

"Hopefully they will," Sakura smiled. "Anyway, are we done now?

.

.

.

Naruto grumbled while the rest of the men from Team 7 did their best to ignore him.

"I understand why we're helping Sakura-chan fulfill her three wishes, but I _don't _get why we can't fulfill mine. We could totally get a harem—"

"Yeah, but we can't do anything about that tiny dick of yours," Sai butted in. Sasuke smirked, hearing Naruto go from a whiny little brat to an enraged adult who was trying to jab Sai in the stomach.

"She said she wanted to travel, right?" Sai mused. He narrowed his eyes and gave Sasuke a smirk that somewhat bothered him in his heart. Sasuke put a hand on his chest as if to feel the emotion burning up, but his face remained cool as he continued to observe Sai.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sasuke asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

"I think I know what I can do. I'll see you guys later; don't wait up. Until then, let's convene back here in a little bit to discuss what we're going to do," Sai said. He pulled down his small shirt over his navel—no use, Sasuke smirked—and walked away. Sasuke had no idea why Sai bothered him like that, or why he even decided to react the way he did, and that angered him.

"So," Kakashi began. "What are _we _going to do?"

Sasuke folded his arms. The corner of his mouth lifted, and he looked back and forth between Naruto and Kakashi for what to do next.

"She said she wanted to heal people, right?" Naruto asked. "That's easy. All we do is find some people in the hospital and have her treat—"

All of a sudden, Naruto's face was met by a firm punch to the jaw. The blond tumbled backwards, having lost his footing, and he pressed his hand up against his swollen face.

"Teme, what the hell?" Naruto shouted. His unkempt eyebrows furrowed in anger, and Kakashi's eyes brightened.

"That's it! You're a genius, Sasuke. I'll spar with Naruto and hurt him so that Sakura has a chance to heal him. And once she's done healing him, I'll just hit him again and we can repeat the process for as long as she wants."

"But why does it have to be me? Why can't she heal _you_?" Naruto groaned, struggling to get off the ground. Sasuke noted with pride that his punch packed some power, and saw the markings of what he had left on his best friend's face.

"Because I'm your teacher and I said so. So we've got a plan. Then…what about you, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, helping Naruto up. He held the boy close to him and gripped his wrists so that Naruto couldn't take a good revenge shot. Sasuke smirked when he saw Naruto's blue eyes light up with anger.

_The third thing…what did Sakura say she wanted again?_

"I can do it," Sasuke said, determined. "Just trust me on this."

"You better come up with something good," Naruto growled. "Or _else_."

"Hn."

.

.

.

"Naruto, I still don't understand why you're walking funny. Are you okay? Take your hands off my eyes and let me see what happened to you," Sakura said. She did her best to pry Naruto's big hands off her face so that she could see, but he only pressed them against her eyes tighter.

"Not yet!" Naruto replied, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. "It'll ruin the surprise."

"_What _surprise? I don't understand—" she began, continuing to walk haphazardly into things. "Did you guys do something?" She growled. "Did you go into my room again?"

Naruto released his hands from her vision. Sakura rubbed her eyes, trying to see clearly. Her best friends and teammates stood in front of her, their mouths pressed in a straight line.

"Is this an intervention?" Sakura breathed. "Did I do something wrong?"

Naruto limped from behind her towards Sasuke, and rested his head and hand on his shoulder. Sasuke shrugged him off, causing Naruto to fall upon Kakashi, who in turn pushed him over to Sai.

"Sakura," Sai began in that stupid tone of his that made Sasuke want to punch him like he did with Naruto. "I know you said you'd wanted to travel. I don't have the money or funds to help get you around the world, but I did this." He pulled out several items from his bag and handed them to her.

"What are these?" Sakura asked, taking the gifts in her hands. They felt thin, and she feared that she would tear them apart on accident.

"Just look." He walked behind her and began to go through the items with her, opening them like a book. He smiled when Sakura's eyes widened, and her fingers glazed over the surfaces covered with graphite, ink, and paint.

"These are—these are landscapes. Sceneries. _People_."

"Yeah. Look, there's the Great Wall. And over there, the Colosseum. That's Monet's _Garden in Giverny_, so it's like you're actually in France. It's the least I could do."

Sakura stared in amazement at the various places Sai had drawn for her. She actually felt like she was right there, in America, walking around on a New York street or climbing the walls of Machu Pichu. Everything was so realistic and she had no idea of the extent of prowess Sai possessed. She gracefully brought him in for a hug, pressing her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you," she said. "This means so much to me."

"Me next," Kakashi began. He picked up Naruto from the ground and slung his arm over his shoulder, walking towards Sakura. "I know how you said you wanted to heal people. So, this morning, Naruto and I got into some _intensive _training."

Sakura eyed Naruto's bruised and hurt figure with suspicion, and then back at Kakashi, who escaped without a scrape. She didn't question it, though. Perhaps it was just part of their gift.

"Um," Sakura began. "How does Naruto relate to my wish?"

"Simple." Kakashi dropped Naruto onto the ground, and Sakura winced when she heard Naruto groan in pain. "I fight him. You heal him. The situation repeats itself until necessary."

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't think Naruto would—"

"It's okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto breathed. "It's for you, so it's okay."

Sasuke walked towards the rest of his team and picked up Naruto by the collar, throwing him over to Sai. With ease, Sai caught the heavy blond, and furrowed his eyebrows in disgust at the purple markings around his face and the dirt caught between his teeth.

"Love," Sasuke began. Sakura stared at his eyes with such longing and hope, and felt her knees shake. She wondered what he would do and what he had gotten her. To her, it was as if they were the only people there, and that for a moment, Sai, Naruto, and Kakashi didn't exist.

Just them.

Sasuke scoffed. "You wasted a stupid wish on love."

The atmosphere was silent. Sakura couldn't breathe for a moment, and she felt her chest tighten. Sasuke wasn't here to pour out his heart and soul to her like she'd dreamt of so often. Instead, he'd just come to tell her what a fool she'd been.

"Teme, you can't—"

Sasuke held up a finger to silence Naruto.

"Sakura," he began. "You're our teammate and our friend. You've been here with us since day one. Have you been blinded by your studies?"

"I don't understand what you're saying," Sakura said. She felt tears rise in her eyes and she bit her lip angrily. There was no way she would let Sasuke ruin what had already been such a perfect day.

"Let me continue. We are Team 7. This is us. This is who we are." He placed both of his hands on Sakura's shoulder, startling her. She dropped Sai's gifts, and heard Kakashi's sharp intake of breath. All eyes were on the two of them now, wondering what Sasuke would do.

"You don't need to find love," he said. "Because it's been here all along." With a firm jerk, he brought Sakura towards his chest, placing one arm awkwardly around her. He hadn't been one for affection, but she needed to know that she was special, and that she meant something—not just for the team, but for him as well.

"Group hugs!" Naruto shouted. He pried himself off Sai and wrapped his filthy arms around Sakura and Sasuke, enveloping them as widely as he could handle. Sai and Kakashi soon joined in, and the five of them stood there uncomfortably, holding each other.

Sakura allowed herself to let a tear or two fall. With red eyes and a bright smile, she placed her hands on Sasuke's chest. She had had so much love in her family already, but the most important person was right in front of her, telling her that all was good.

"It's you," she breathed, allowing herself to confess her feelings once and for all to him. "It was always you."

* * *

**I'm back from vacation and I had a lot of fun. Thank you all for supporting me throughout this month; I've gone through some major ups and downs in my life but your love really helped me through these tough times. I hope that I can continue to always have such amazing people like you by my side when I'm feeling down and pitiful because you always bring me back up again.**

**Happy SasuSaku month and I hope your July was fantastic. Love always xoxo!**


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